Search

Your search keyword '"Balestri P"' showing total 976 results
Start Over Author "Balestri P"
976 results on '"Balestri P"'

1. Examining Multimodal Gender and Content Bias in ChatGPT-4o

Author

Balestri, Roberto

Subjects
Computer Science - Computers and Society, Computer Science - Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science - Computation and Language, Computer Science - Human-Computer Interaction, Statistics - Other Statistics
Abstract

This study investigates ChatGPT-4o's multimodal content generation, highlighting significant disparities in its treatment of sexual content and nudity versus violent and drug-related themes. Detailed analysis reveals that ChatGPT-4o consistently censors sexual content and nudity, while showing leniency towards violence and drug use. Moreover, a pronounced gender bias emerges, with female-specific content facing stricter regulation compared to male-specific content. This disparity likely stems from media scrutiny and public backlash over past AI controversies, prompting tech companies to impose stringent guidelines on sensitive issues to protect their reputations. Our findings emphasize the urgent need for AI systems to uphold genuine ethical standards and accountability, transcending mere political correctness. This research contributes to the understanding of biases in AI-driven language and multimodal models, calling for more balanced and ethical content moderation practices., Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables. Conference: "14th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Soft Computing and Applications (AIAA 2024), London, 23-24 November 2024" It will be published in the proceedings "David C. Wyld et al. (Eds): IoTE, CNDC, DSA, AIAA, NLPTA, DPPR - 2024"

Published
2024

2. Physics of the low momentum diffusivity regime in tokamaks and its experimental applicability

Author

Sun, Haomin, Ball, Justin, Brunner, Stephan, Field, Anthony, Patel, Bhavin, Balestri, Alessandro, Kennedy, Daniel, Roach, Colin, Cruz-Zabala, Diego Jose, Del Pozo, Fernando Puentes, Viezzer, Eleonora, and Munoz, Manuel Garcia

Subjects
Physics - Plasma Physics, Physics - Computational Physics
Abstract

Strong $E\times B$ plasma flow shear is beneficial for reducing turbulent transport. However, traditional methods of driving flow shear do not scale well to large devices such as future fusion power plants. In this paper, we use a large number of nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations to study a novel approach to increase flow shear: decreasing the momentum diffusivity to make the plasma ``easier to push''. We first use an idealized circular geometry and find that one can obtain low momentum diffusivity at tight aspect ratio, low safety factor, high magnetic shear and low temperature gradient. This is the so-called Low Momentum Diffusivity (LMD) regime. To drive intrinsic momentum flux, we then tilt the flux surface, making it up-down asymmetric. In the LMD regime, this intrinsic momentum flux drives strong flow shear that can significantly reduce the heat flux and increase the critical temperature gradient. We also consider the actual experimental geometry of the MAST tokamak to illustrate that this strategy can be practical and create experimentally significant flow shear. Lastly, a preliminary prediction for the SMART tokamak is made., Comment: 43 pages, 23 figures

Published
2024

3. A zero dimensional study of Ohmically heated negative triangularity tokamaks

Author

Balestri, Alessandro, Ball, Justin, and Coda, Stefano

Subjects
Physics - Plasma Physics
Abstract

Because negative triangularity plasma scenarios remain in L-mode, they do not require external heating systems that exceed the H-mode power threshold. Operating with less heating has the potential to improve performance as heating generally degrades confinement in tokamaks. Using simple zero dimensional power balance and standard empirical scaling laws for confinement, we analyze the impact of external heating on several different reactor-relevant devices (i.e. SPARC, MANTA, ITER and DEMO). We compare the nominal externally heated scenarios against equivalent negative tringularity cases without external heating. For most of these devices, the Ohmically heated negative triangularity versions achieve better performance, particularly for devices with high magnetic field and/or high fusion gain.

Published
2024

6. Physical insights from the aspect ratio dependence of turbulence in negative triangularity plasmas

Author

Balestri, Alessandro, Ball, Justin, Coda, Stefano, Cruz-Zabala, Diego Jose, Garcia-Munoz, Manuel, and Viezzer, Eleonora

Subjects
Physics - Plasma Physics
Abstract

In this work, we study the impact of aspect ratio A = R0 /r (the ratio of major radius R0 to minor radius r) on the confinement benefits of Negative Triangularity (NT) plasma shaping. We use high-fidelity flux tube gyrokinetic GENE simulations and consider several different scenarios: four of them inspired by TCV experimental data, a scenario inspired by DIII-D experimental data and a scenario expected in the new SMART spherical tokamak. The present study reveals a surprising and non-trivial dependence. NT improves confinement at any value of A for ITG turbulence, while for TEM turbulence confinement is improved only in the case of large and conventional aspect ratios. Additionally, through a detailed study of a large aspect ratio case with pure ITG drive, we develop an intuitive physical picture that explains the beneficial effect of NT at large and conventional aspect ratios. This picture does not hold in TEM-dominated regimes, where a complex synergistic effect of many factors is found. Finally, we performed the first linear gyrokinetic simulations of SMART, finding that both NT and PT scenarios are dominated by micro-tearing-mode (MTM) turbulence and that NT is more susceptible to MTMs at tight aspect ratio. However, we found that a regime where ITG dominates in SMART can be found, and in this regime NT is more linearly stable.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

8. Comparison of “IN-REC-SUR-E” and LISA in preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome: a randomized controlled trial (IN-REC-LISA trial)

Author

Vento, Giovanni, Paladini, Angela, Aurilia, C., Ozdemir, S. Alkan, Carnielli, V. P., Cools, F., Costa, S., Cota, F., Dani, C., Davis, P. G., Fattore, S., Fè, C., Finer, N., Fusco, F. P., Gizzi, C., Herting, E., Jian, M., Lio, A., Lista, G., Mosca, F., Nobile, S., Perri, A., Picone, S., Pillow, J. J., Polglase, G., Pasciuto, T., Pastorino, R., Tana, M., Tingay, D., Tirone, C., van Kaam, A. H., Ventura, M. L., Aceti, A., Agosti, M., Alighieri, G., Ancora, G., Angileri, V., Ausanio, G., Aversa, S., Balestri, E., Baraldi, E., Barbini, M. C., Barone, C., Beghini, R., Bellan, C., Berardi, A., Bernardo, I., Betta, P., Binotti, M., Bizzarri, B., Borgarello, G., Borgione, S., Borrelli, A., Bottino, R., Bracaglia, G., Bresesti, I., Burattini, I., Cacace, C., Calzolari, F., Campagnoli, M. F., Capasso, L., Capozza, M., Capretti, M. G., Caravetta, J., Carbonara, C., Cardilli, V., Carta, M., Castoldi, F., Castronovo, A., Cavalleri, E., Cavigioli, F., Cecchi, S., Chierici, V., Cimino, C., Cocca, F., Cocca, C., Cogo, P., Coma, M., Comito, V., Condò, V., Consigli, C., Conti, R., Corradi, M., Corsello, G., Corvaglia, L. T., Costa, A., Coscia, A., Cresi, F., Crispino, F., D’Amico, P., De Cosmo, L., De Maio, C., Del Campo, G., Di Credico, S., Di Fabio, S., Di Nicola, P., Di Paolo, A., Di Valerio, S., Distilo, A., Duca, V., Falcone, A., Falsaperla, R., Fasolato, V. A., Fatuzzo, V., Favini, F., Ferrarello, M. P., Ferrari, S., Nastro, F. Fiori, Forcellini, C. A., Fracchiolla, A., Gabriele, A., Galdo, F., Gallini, F., Gangemi, A., Gargano, G., Gazzolo, D., Gentile, M. P., Ghirardello, S., Giardina, F., Giordano, L., Gitto, E., Giuffrè, M., Grappone, L., Grasso, F., Greco, I., Grison, A., Guglielmino, R., Guidotti, I., Guzzo, I., La Forgia, N., La Placa, S., La Torre, G., Lago, P., Lanciotti, L., Lavizzari, A., Leo, F., Leonardi, V., Lestingi, D., Li, J., Liberatore, P., Lodin, D., Lubrano, R., Lucente, M., Luciani, S., Luvarà, D., Maffei, G., Maggio, A., Maggio, L., Maiolo, K., Malaigia, L., Mangili, G., Manna, A., Maranella, E., Marciano, A., Marcozzi, P., Marletta, M., Marseglia, L., Martinelli, D., Martinelli, S., Massari, S., Massenzi, L., Matina, F., Mattia, L., Mescoli, G., Migliore, I. V., Minghetti, D., Mondello, I., Montano, S., Morandi, G., Mores, N., Morreale, S., Morselli, I., Motta, M., Napolitano, M., Nardo, D., Nicolardi, A., Nider, S., Nigro, G., Nuccio, M., Orfeo, L., Ottaviano, C., Paganin, P., Palamides, S., Palatta, S., Paolillo, P., Pappalardo, M. G., Pasta, E., Patti, L., Paviotti, G., Perniola, R., Perotti, G., Perrone, S., Petrillo, F., Piazza, M. S., Piccirillo, A., Pierro, M., Piga, E., Pingitore, G. A., Pisu, S., Pittini, C., Pontiggia, F., Pontrelli, G., Primavera, A., Proto, A., Quartulli, L., Raimondi, F., Ramenghi, L., Rapsomaniki, M., Ricotti, A., Rigotti, C., Rinaldi, M., Risso, F. M., Roma, E., Romanini, E., Romano, V., Rosati, E., Rosella, V., Rulli, I., Salvo, V., Sanfilippo, C., Sannia, A., Saporito, A., Sauna, A., Scapillati, E., Schettini, F., Scorrano, A., Mantelli, S. Semeria, Sepporta, V., Sindico, P., Solinas, A., Sorrentino, E., Spaggiari, E., Staffler, A., Stella, M., Termini, D., Terrin, G., Testa, A., Tina, G., Tirantello, M., Tomasini, B., Tormena, F., Travan, L., Trevisanuto, D., Tuling, G., Tulino, V., Valenzano, L., Vedovato, S., Vendramin, S., Villani, P. E., Viola, S., Viola, V., Vitaliti, G., Vitaliti, M., Wanker, P., Yang, Y., Zanetta, S., and Zannin, E.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

10. Rapid Efficacy of riSankizumab in pretibial psoriasis invOLVEment: RESOLVE

Author

Nicoletta Bernardini, Nevena Skroza, Laura Atzori, Cristina Mugheddu, Matteo Megna, Sara Cacciapuoti, Michela Ortoncelli, Maria A Montesu, Antonio Carpentieri, Martino Carriero, Maria G Atzori, Gianmario Addis, Riccardo Balestri, Giulia Rech, Pierluigi Bruni, Manuela Papini, and Concetta Potenza

Subjects
psoriasis, difficult-to-treat-areas, il-23 inhibitors, pretibial, Therapeutics. Pharmacology, RM1-950
Abstract

Background: Despite extraordinary improvements in the management of psoriasis in recent times, some areas of the body, such as the pretibial area, still show an unsatisfactory response and a more significant impact on patient quality of life. This multicentre study focuses on psoriasis affecting sensitive areas (particularly the pretibial area), its impact on quality of life and the therapeutic response to risankizumab. Methods: This multicentre prospective observational study recruited patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis with pretibial area involvement. All patients underwent treatment with risankizumab (150 mg every 3 weeks), and efficacy was assessed after 24 weeks. Results: The study included 128 patients with a mean age of 51 years, suffering from moderate-to-severe psoriasis with involvement of the pretibial area with median total Psoriasis Area Severity Index score of 17.05 and Dermatology Life Quality Index of 16.27. The group was further divided into two sub-groups: the ‘mother patch’ group, in whom the very first psoriatic plaque appeared in the pretibial region (45 patients), and the ‘non-mother patch’ group, in whom the psoriatic lesion in the pretibial region was present but not as the first manifestation (83 patients). In order to better assess the involvement of psoriasis in the pretibial area, the pretibial plaque lesion severity index was also calculated at baseline in all patients: extent 2.75, erythema 2.64, infiltration 2.45 and desquamation 2.38. All participants in this study showed a good therapeutic response, with a reduction in all scores. Conclusions: The pretibial area is becoming an object of therapeutic interest due to some resistance to clearance and the consequent impairment of patient quality of life. This study showed that risankizumab can give favourable therapeutic results not only in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis with involvement of the difficult-to-treat areas but particularly in patients with recalcitrant plaques in the pretibial area.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

11. Comparison of 'IN-REC-SUR-E' and LISA in preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome: a randomized controlled trial (IN-REC-LISA trial)

Author

Giovanni Vento, Angela Paladini, C. Aurilia, S. Alkan Ozdemir, V. P. Carnielli, F. Cools, S. Costa, F. Cota, C. Dani, P. G. Davis, S. Fattore, C. Fè, N. Finer, F. P. Fusco, C. Gizzi, E. Herting, M. Jian, A. Lio, G. Lista, F. Mosca, S. Nobile, A. Perri, S. Picone, J. J. Pillow, G. Polglase, T. Pasciuto, R. Pastorino, M. Tana, D. Tingay, C. Tirone, A. H. van Kaam, M. L. Ventura, A. Aceti, M. Agosti, G. Alighieri, G. Ancora, V. Angileri, G. Ausanio, S. Aversa, E. Balestri, E. Baraldi, M. C. Barbini, C. Barone, R. Beghini, C. Bellan, A. Berardi, I. Bernardo, P. Betta, M. Binotti, B. Bizzarri, G. Borgarello, S. Borgione, A. Borrelli, R. Bottino, G. Bracaglia, I. Bresesti, I. Burattini, C. Cacace, F. Calzolari, M. F. Campagnoli, L. Capasso, M. Capozza, M. G. Capretti, J. Caravetta, C. Carbonara, V. Cardilli, M. Carta, F. Castoldi, A. Castronovo, E. Cavalleri, F. Cavigioli, S. Cecchi, V. Chierici, C. Cimino, F. Cocca, C. Cocca, P. Cogo, M. Coma, V. Comito, V. Condò, C. Consigli, R. Conti, M. Corradi, G. Corsello, L. T. Corvaglia, A. Costa, A. Coscia, F. Cresi, F. Crispino, P. D’Amico, L. De Cosmo, C. De Maio, G. Del Campo, S. Di Credico, S. Di Fabio, P. Di Nicola, A. Di Paolo, S. Di Valerio, A. Distilo, V. Duca, A. Falcone, R. Falsaperla, V. A. Fasolato, V. Fatuzzo, F. Favini, M. P. Ferrarello, S. Ferrari, F. Fiori Nastro, C. A. Forcellini, A. Fracchiolla, A. Gabriele, F. Galdo, F. Gallini, A. Gangemi, G. Gargano, D. Gazzolo, M. P. Gentile, S. Ghirardello, F. Giardina, L. Giordano, E. Gitto, M. Giuffrè, L. Grappone, F. Grasso, I. Greco, A. Grison, R. Guglielmino, I. Guidotti, I. Guzzo, N. La Forgia, S. La Placa, G. La Torre, P. Lago, L. Lanciotti, A. Lavizzari, F. Leo, V. Leonardi, D. Lestingi, J. Li, P. Liberatore, D. Lodin, R. Lubrano, M. Lucente, S. Luciani, D. Luvarà, G. Maffei, A. Maggio, L. Maggio, K. Maiolo, L. Malaigia, G. Mangili, A. Manna, E. Maranella, A. Marciano, P. Marcozzi, M. Marletta, L. Marseglia, D. Martinelli, S. Martinelli, S. Massari, L. Massenzi, F. Matina, L. Mattia, G. Mescoli, I. V. Migliore, D. Minghetti, I. Mondello, S. Montano, G. Morandi, N. Mores, S. Morreale, I. Morselli, M. Motta, M. Napolitano, D. Nardo, A. Nicolardi, S. Nider, G. Nigro, M. Nuccio, L. Orfeo, C. Ottaviano, P. Paganin, S. Palamides, S. Palatta, P. Paolillo, M. G. Pappalardo, E. Pasta, L. Patti, G. Paviotti, R. Perniola, G. Perotti, S. Perrone, F. Petrillo, M. S. Piazza, A. Piccirillo, M. Pierro, E. Piga, G. A. Pingitore, S. Pisu, C. Pittini, F. Pontiggia, G. Pontrelli, A. Primavera, A. Proto, L. Quartulli, F. Raimondi, L. Ramenghi, M. Rapsomaniki, A. Ricotti, C. Rigotti, M. Rinaldi, F. M. Risso, E. Roma, E. Romanini, V. Romano, E. Rosati, V. Rosella, I. Rulli, V. Salvo, C. Sanfilippo, A. Sannia, A. Saporito, A. Sauna, E. Scapillati, F. Schettini, A. Scorrano, S. Semeria Mantelli, V. Sepporta, P. Sindico, A. Solinas, E. Sorrentino, E. Spaggiari, A. Staffler, M. Stella, D. Termini, G. Terrin, A. Testa, G. Tina, M. Tirantello, B. Tomasini, F. Tormena, L. Travan, D. Trevisanuto, G. Tuling, V. Tulino, L. Valenzano, S. Vedovato, S. Vendramin, P. E. Villani, S. Viola, V. Viola, G. Vitaliti, M. Vitaliti, P. Wanker, Y. Yang, S. Zanetta, and E. Zannin

Subjects
Preterm infants, Lung recruitment, HFOV, INRECSURE, LISA, Surfactant, Medicine (General), R5-920
Abstract

Abstract Background Surfactant is a well-established therapy for preterm neonates affected by respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). The goals of different methods of surfactant administration are to reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation and the severity of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD); however, the optimal administration method remains unknown. This study compares the effectiveness of the INtubate-RECruit-SURfactant-Extubate (IN-REC-SUR-E) technique with the less-invasive surfactant administration (LISA) technique, in increasing BPD-free survival of preterm infants. This is an international unblinded multicenter randomized controlled study in which preterm infants will be randomized into two groups to receive IN-REC-SUR-E or LISA surfactant administration. Methods In this study, 382 infants born at 24+0–27+6 weeks’ gestation, not intubated in the delivery room and failing nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) or nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) during the first 24 h of life, will be randomized 1:1 to receive IN-REC-SUR-E or LISA surfactant administration. The primary outcome is a composite outcome of death or BPD at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age. The secondary outcomes are BPD at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age; death; pulse oximetry/fraction of inspired oxygen; severe intraventricular hemorrhage; pneumothorax; duration of respiratory support and oxygen therapy; pulmonary hemorrhage; patent ductus arteriosus undergoing treatment; percentage of infants receiving more doses of surfactant; periventricular leukomalacia, severe retinopathy of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis; total in-hospital stay; systemic postnatal steroids; neurodevelopmental outcomes; and respiratory function testing at 24 months of age. Randomization will be centrally provided using both stratification and permuted blocks with random block sizes and block order. Stratification factors will include center and gestational age (24+0 to 25+6 weeks or 26+0 to 27+6 weeks). Analyses will be conducted in both intention-to-treat and per-protocol populations, utilizing a log-binomial regression model that corrects for stratification factors to estimate the adjusted relative risk (RR). Discussion This trial is designed to provide robust data on the best method of surfactant administration in spontaneously breathing preterm infants born at 24+0–27+6 weeks’ gestation affected by RDS and failing nCPAP or NIPPV during the first 24 h of life, comparing IN-REC-SUR-E to LISA technique, in increasing BPD-free survival at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age of life. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05711966. Registered on February 3, 2023.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

12. Efficacy and Safety of bimekizumab in elderly patients: real-world multicenter retrospective study – IL PSO (Italian Landscape Psoriasis)

Author

D. Orsini, M. Megna, C. Assorgi, A. Balato, R. Balestri, N. Bernardini, A. Bettacchi, T. Bianchelli, L. Bianchi, G. Buggiani, M. Burlando, AMG. Brunasso, G. Caldarola, N. Cameli, A. Campanati, E. Campione, A. Carugno, K. Chersi, A. Conti, A. Costanzo, E. Cozzani, A. Cuccia, D. D’Amico, G. Dal Bello, E. G. Dall’Olio, P. Dapavo, C. De Simone, E. V. Di Brizzi, A. Di Cesare, V. Dini, M. Esposito, E. Errichetti, M. C. Fargnoli, C. S. Fiorella, A. Foti, Z. Fratton, F. M. Gaiani, P. Gisondi, R. Giuffrida, A. Giunta, C. Guarneri, A. Legori, F. Loconsole, P. Malagoli, A. Narcisi, M. Paolinelli, L. Potestio, F. Prignano, G. Rech, A. Rossi, N. Skroza, F. Trovato, M. Venturini, A. G. Richetta, G. Pellacani, and A. Dattola

Subjects
Bimekizumab, psoriasis, elderly, comorbidities, Dermatology, RL1-803
Abstract

Purpose of the article: The aim of this multicenter observational study is to report data from real world on the use of bimekizumab in patients aged ≥ 65 years with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Elderly patients are poorly represented in clinical trials on bimekizumab for plaque psoriasis, and real-world studies are important to guide clinical choices.Materials and methods: A retrospective multicenter study was conducted in 33 dermatological outpatient clinics in Italy. Patients aged ≥ 65 years, with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and treated with bimekizumab were enrolled. No exclusion criteria were applied. Bimekizumab was administered following the Italian Guidelines for the management of plaque psoriasis and according to the summary of product characteristics, in adult patients who were candidates for systemic treatments. Overall, 98 subjects were included, and received bimekizumab up to week 36. Clinical and demographic data were collected before the initiation of treatment with bimekizumab. At baseline and each dermatological examination (4, 16, and 36 weeks), clinical outcomes were measured by the following parameters: (1) PASI score; (2) site-specific (scalp, palmoplantar, genital, nail) Psoriasis Global Assessment (PGA). At each visit, the occurrence of any adverse events (AEs) was recorded, including serious AEs and AEs leading to bimekizumab discontinuation.Results: The mean PASI score was 16.6 ± 9.4 at baseline and significantly decreased to 4.3 ± 5.2 after 4 weeks (p

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

13. Assessing a measure for Quality of Life in patients with severe Alopecia Areata: a multicentric Italian study

Author

Giacomo Caldarola, Giulia Raimondi, Tonia Samela, Lorenzo Pinto, Francesca Pampaloni, Michela Valeria Rita Starace, Laura Diluvio, Federica Dall'Oglio, Emanuele Vagnozzi, Maria Beatrice de Felici del Giudice, Riccardo Balestri, Francesca Ambrogio, Giampiero Girolomoni, Silvia Francesca Riva, Francesco Moro, Laura Atzori, Giuseppe Gallo, Simone Ribero, Oriana Simonetti, Stefania Barruscotti, Valeria Boccaletti, Angelo Valerio Marzano, Luca Bianchi, Giuseppe Micali, Bianca Maria Piraccini, Maria Concetta Fargnoli, Damiano Abeni, and Ketty Peris

Subjects
Alopecia Areata (AA), Quality of Life, Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis, psychodermatology, patients reported outcomes, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270
Abstract

ObjectiveThe prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients diagnosed with Alopecia Areata (AA) is very high and this significant burden of psychological symptoms threatens the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of affected patients. Indeed, AA often does not produce significant physical symptoms, but it nonetheless disrupts many areas of mental health. Clinical assessment of disease severity may not reliably predict patient's HRQoL, nor may it predict the patient's perception of illness. For this reason, considerable effort has been made to apply and develop measures that consider patient's perception and assess the HRQoL of individuals affected by AA. The aim of this multicentric study was to provide the Italian version of the Skindex-16AA and to evaluate its psychometric properties in a clinical sample of consecutive patients with moderate-to-severe AA.MethodsThis is a longitudinal, multicenter, observational study. Patients returned for follow-up visits at 4-, 12-, and 24-weeks. The analyses of the current work aimed to confirm the factorial structure of the Skindex-16AA. In the case of non-fit, an alternative structure for the model was proposed, using an Exploratory Graph Analysis and the Bayesian approach.ResultsThe sample was composed of 106 patients with AA. Alopecia Universalis was the most frequently diagnosed type of alopecia at all time points. The analyses on the Skindex-16AA revealed that a two-factor structure with eight items fit the data best (Bayesian Posterior Predictive Checking using 95% Confidence Interval for the Difference Between the Observed and the Replicated Chi-Square values = −6.246/56.395, Posterior Predictive P-value = 0.06), and reported satisfactory psychometric properties (i.e., internal consistency and convergent validity).ConclusionThe Skindex-8AA demonstrated optimal psychometric properties (i.e., convergent and construct validity, and test-retest reliability) measured in a sample of patients with AA, that may suggest that it is an appropriate tool to measure the HRQoL in AA patients. However, further studies are needed in order to confirm and tested other psychometric features of this tool.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

14. Liquid L-T4 therapy in hypothyroid patients with gastric diseases, an observational study

Author

Poupak Fallahi, Francesca Ragusa, Armando Patrizio, Valeria Mazzi, Chiara Botrini, Giusy Elia, Eugenia Balestri, Emilio Barozzi, Licia Rugani, Elena Palmisano, Maria Carla Cosenza, Gilda Varricchi, Salvatore Ulisse, Salvatore Benvenga, Silvia Martina Ferrari, and Alessandro Antonelli

Subjects
levothyroxine, liquid L-T4, hypothyroidism, gastritis, gastrectomy, gastroplastic, Diseases of the endocrine glands. Clinical endocrinology, RC648-665
Abstract

IntroductionThis is an observational and retrospective study, in which we have analyzed data from patients affected by gastric diseases (p) who have been treated with liquid L-T4 (L-LT4;84 p), or tablet L-T4 (T-LT4;120 p), for the replacement therapy of hypothyroidism. The aim of the study is to compare the stability of TSH [normal range, 0.3-3.5 μIU/ml] in these patients.MethodsAll p assumed L-T4 30 minutes before breakfast. The types of gastric disease were: a) T-LT4 group: 74 chronic gastritis (CG); 4 gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GTx); 42 gastro-plastics (GP); b) L-LT4 group: 60 CG; 3 GTx; 21 GP (p>0.05). 66% p in T-LT4 group were chronically treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPI), against 51% in L-LT4 group (p>0.05). The frequency of Helicobacter Pylori infection was 17% in both T-LT4 and L-LT4 groups. The gender distribution, mean age and body weight were similar in the 2 groups (p>0.05). The mean L-T4 dosage in T-LT4 group at the basal evaluation was 1.22+/-0.27 μg/kg/die, in the L-LT4 group 1.36+/-0.22 μg/kg/die (p>0.05).ResultsAt the basal evaluation the prevalence of patients with a TSH>3.5 μIU/mL in T-LT4 group was 36%, in L-LT4 group 46% (p3.5 μIU/mL was 13% in both groups. At the second re-evaluation, the prevalence of p with a TSH>3.5 μIU/mL in T-LT4 group was 26%, in L-LT4 group 13% (p>0.05). At the third re-evaluation, the prevalence of p with TSH3.5 μIU/mL in T-LT4 group was 18%, in L-LT4 group 5% (p

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

15. Factors influencing terrestriality in primates of the Americas and Madagascar

Author

Eppley, Timothy M, Hoeks, Selwyn, Chapman, Colin A, Ganzhorn, Jörg U, Hall, Katie, Owen, Megan A, Adams, Dara B, Allgas, Néstor, Amato, Katherine R, Andriamahaihavana, McAntonin, Aristizabal, John F, Baden, Andrea L, Balestri, Michela, Barnett, Adrian A, Bicca-Marques, Júlio César, Bowler, Mark, Boyle, Sarah A, Brown, Meredith, Caillaud, Damien, Calegaro-Marques, Cláudia, Campbell, Christina J, Campera, Marco, Campos, Fernando A, Cardoso, Tatiane S, Carretero-Pinzón, Xyomara, Champion, Jane, Chaves, Óscar M, Chen-Kraus, Chloe, Colquhoun, Ian C, Dean, Brittany, Dubrueil, Colin, Ellis, Kelsey M, Erhart, Elizabeth M, Evans, Kayley JE, Fedigan, Linda M, Felton, Annika M, Ferreira, Renata G, Fichtel, Claudia, Fonseca, Manuel L, Fontes, Isadora P, Fortes, Vanessa B, Fumian, Ivanyr, Gibson, Dean, Guzzo, Guilherme B, Hartwell, Kayla S, Heymann, Eckhard W, Hilário, Renato R, Holmes, Sheila M, Irwin, Mitchell T, Johnson, Steig E, Kappeler, Peter M, Kelley, Elizabeth A, King, Tony, Knogge, Christoph, Koch, Flávia, Kowalewski, Martin M, Lange, Liselot R, Lauterbur, M Elise, Louis, Edward E, Lutz, Meredith C, Martínez, Jesús, Melin, Amanda D, de Melo, Fabiano R, Mihaminekena, Tsimisento H, Mogilewsky, Monica S, Moreira, Leandro S, Moura, Letícia A, Muhle, Carina B, Nagy-Reis, Mariana B, Norconk, Marilyn A, Notman, Hugh, O’Mara, M Teague, Ostner, Julia, Patel, Erik R, Pavelka, Mary SM, Pinacho-Guendulain, Braulio, Porter, Leila M, Pozo-Montuy, Gilberto, Raboy, Becky E, Rahalinarivo, Vololonirina, Raharinoro, Njaratiana A, Rakotomalala, Zafimahery, Ramos-Fernández, Gabriel, Rasamisoa, Delaïd C, Ratsimbazafy, Jonah, Ravaloharimanitra, Maholy, Razafindramanana, Josia, Razanaparany, Tojotanjona P, Righini, Nicoletta, Robson, Nicola M, da Rosa Gonçalves, Jonas, Sanamo, Justin, Santacruz, Nicole, Sato, Hiroki, Sauther, Michelle L, Scarry, Clara J, Serio-Silva, Juan Carlos, Shanee, Sam, de Souza Lins, Poliana GA, and Smith, Andrew C

Subjects
Life Below Water, Americas, Animals, Biological Evolution, Cercopithecidae, Haplorhini, Humans, Madagascar, Mammals, Primates, Trees, primate communities, primate evolution, evolutionary transitions, niche shift, climate change
Abstract

Among mammals, the order Primates is exceptional in having a high taxonomic richness in which the taxa are arboreal, semiterrestrial, or terrestrial. Although habitual terrestriality is pervasive among the apes and African and Asian monkeys (catarrhines), it is largely absent among monkeys of the Americas (platyrrhines), as well as galagos, lemurs, and lorises (strepsirrhines), which are mostly arboreal. Numerous ecological drivers and species-specific factors are suggested to set the conditions for an evolutionary shift from arboreality to terrestriality, and current environmental conditions may provide analogous scenarios to those transitional periods. Therefore, we investigated predominantly arboreal, diurnal primate genera from the Americas and Madagascar that lack fully terrestrial taxa, to determine whether ecological drivers (habitat canopy cover, predation risk, maximum temperature, precipitation, primate species richness, human population density, and distance to roads) or species-specific traits (body mass, group size, and degree of frugivory) associate with increased terrestriality. We collated 150,961 observation hours across 2,227 months from 47 species at 20 sites in Madagascar and 48 sites in the Americas. Multiple factors were associated with ground use in these otherwise arboreal species, including increased temperature, a decrease in canopy cover, a dietary shift away from frugivory, and larger group size. These factors mostly explain intraspecific differences in terrestriality. As humanity modifies habitats and causes climate change, our results suggest that species already inhabiting hot, sparsely canopied sites, and exhibiting more generalized diets, are more likely to shift toward greater ground use.

Published
2022

16. Parrot Trade and the Potential Risk of Psittacosis as a Zoonotic Disease in Indonesian Bird Markets

Author

Abdullah Abdullah, Ahmad Ardiansyah, Michela Balestri, Marco Campera, Jessica Chavez, Tungga Dewi, Anna Fourage, Emma L. Hankinson, Katherine Hedger, Boyd Leupen, Sophie Manson, Thais Q. Morcatty, K. A. I. Nekaris, Vincent Nijman, Paula E. R. Pereyra, Erly Sintya, Magdalena S. Svensson, and Meng Xie

Subjects
avian chlamydiosis, Cacatuidae, emerging infectious diseases, Indonesia, ornithosis, Psittaculidae, Ecology, QH540-549.5, Animal culture, SF1-1100
Abstract

Wildlife trade, both legal and illegal, is increasingly recognized as a key factor in the rise of emerging viral infectious diseases, and this is especially apparent in Asia, where large numbers of wildlife are openly offered for sale in bird markets. We here focus on the risk of Psittacosis becoming a zoonotic disease in the wildlife markets of Java and Bali, Indonesia. Psittacosis is particularly prevalent in parrots (hence the name), and the trade in parrots was instrumental in the Great Parrot Fever Pandemic in 1929/1930. Between 2014 and 2023, we conducted 176 surveys of 14 bird markets, during which we recorded 4446 largely wild-caught parrots for sale. On average, each market had nine genera on offer, and the diversity of genera increased with the increasing presence of parrots (up to 16 genera). For most of the bird markets during each survey, parrots from different genera and originating from different parts of the world, were offered for sale alongside each other. Genera offered for sale together did not cluster into natural (geographic) groups. We found no temporal difference in the sale of parrots. We conclude that the omnipresence of wild-caught parrots from various geographic regions in large numbers within the same bird markets increases the risk that psittacosis is present and that this poses a real risk for the zoonotic spread of avian chlamydiosis to humans.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

17. Modeling the neuroimmune system in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases

Author

Wendy Balestri, Ruchi Sharma, Victor A. da Silva, Bianca C. Bobotis, Annabel J. Curle, Vandana Kothakota, Farnoosh Kalantarnia, Maria V. Hangad, Mina Hoorfar, Joanne L. Jones, Marie-Ève Tremblay, Jehan J. El-Jawhari, Stephanie M. Willerth, and Yvonne Reinwald

Subjects
Neuroimmune system, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Inflammation, Neurodegenerative diseases, Modeling, Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system, RC346-429
Abstract

Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are neurodegenerative disorders caused by the interaction of genetic, environmental, and familial factors. These diseases have distinct pathologies and symptoms that are linked to specific cell populations in the brain. Notably, the immune system has been implicated in both diseases, with a particular focus on the dysfunction of microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, contributing to neuronal loss and exacerbating symptoms. Researchers use models of the neuroimmune system to gain a deeper understanding of the physiological and biological aspects of these neurodegenerative diseases and how they progress. Several in vitro and in vivo models, including 2D cultures and animal models, have been utilized. Recently, advancements have been made in optimizing these existing models and developing 3D models and organ-on-a-chip systems, holding tremendous promise in accurately mimicking the intricate intracellular environment. As a result, these models represent a crucial breakthrough in the transformation of current treatments for PD and AD by offering potential for conducting long-term disease-based modeling for therapeutic testing, reducing reliance on animal models, and significantly improving cell viability compared to conventional 2D models. The application of 3D and organ-on-a-chip models in neurodegenerative disease research marks a prosperous step forward, providing a more realistic representation of the complex interactions within the neuroimmune system. Ultimately, these refined models of the neuroimmune system aim to aid in the quest to combat and mitigate the impact of debilitating neuroimmune diseases on patients and their families.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

18. Long-term Effectiveness and Safety of Upadacitinib for Atopic Dermatitis in a Real-world Setting: An Interim Analysis Through 48 Weeks of Observation

Author

Chiricozzi, Andrea, Ortoncelli, Michela, Schena, Donatella, Gori, Niccolò, Ferrucci, Silvia Mariel, Babino, Graziella, Napolitano, Maddalena, Fargnoli, Maria Concetta, Stingeni, Luca, Rossi, Mariateresa, Romanelli, Marco, Balestri, Riccardo, Pellegrino, Michele, Parodi, Aurora, Bertoldi, Alberto Maria, Palazzo, Giovanni, Antonelli, Flaminia, Pitino, Annalisa, Tripepi, Giovanni, Fabbrocini, Gabriella, Balato, Anna, Marzano, Angelo Valerio, Girolomoni, Giampiero, Ribero, Simone, and Peris, Ketty

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

19. Capacitating Community: The Writing Innovation Symposium

Author

Jenn Fishman, Abigayle Farrier, Aleisha R. Balestri, Barbara Clauer, Bump Halbritter, Darci Thoune, Derek G. Handley, Gitte Frandsen, Holly Burgess, Lillian Campbell, Liz Angeli, Louise Zamparutti, Jenna Green, Jennifer Kontny, Jessica R. Edwards, Jessie Wirkus Haynes, Julie Lindquist, Kaia L. Simon, Kayla Urban Fettig, Kelsey Otero, Margaret Perrow, Maria Novotny, Marie Cleary-Fishman, Maxwell Gray, Melissa Kaplan, Patrick W. Thomas, Paul Feigenbaum, Sara Heaser, and Seán McCarthy

Abstract

The topic of this symposium, capacitating community, invites CLJ readers to consider what makes community possible. This piece showcases one means, small conferences, via a retrospective on the Writing Innovation Symposium (WIS), a regional event with national scope that has hosted writers and writing educators annually in Milwaukee, WI, since 2018. Through a quilted conversation pieced from hours of small-group discussion, twenty-nine participants across academic and nonacademic ranks, roles, and ranges of experience offer insight into the WIS as well as the nature and value of professional community.

Published
2023

20. Implicit Acoustic Echo Cancellation for Keyword Spotting and Device-Directed Speech Detection

Author

Cornell, Samuele, Balestri, Thomas, and Sénéchal, Thibaud

Subjects
Computer Science - Sound, Computer Science - Machine Learning, Electrical Engineering and Systems Science - Audio and Speech Processing
Abstract

In many speech-enabled human-machine interaction scenarios, user speech can overlap with the device playback audio. In these instances, the performance of tasks such as keyword-spotting (KWS) and device-directed speech detection (DDD) can degrade significantly. To address this problem, we propose an implicit acoustic echo cancellation (iAEC) framework where a neural network is trained to exploit the additional information from a reference microphone channel to learn to ignore the interfering signal and improve detection performance. We study this framework for the tasks of KWS and DDD on, respectively, an augmented version of Google Speech Commands v2 and a real-world Alexa device dataset. Notably, we show a 56% reduction in false-reject rate for the DDD task during device playback conditions. We also show comparable or superior performance over a strong end-to-end neural echo cancellation + KWS baseline for the KWS task with an order of magnitude less computational requirements., Comment: To be presented at SLT 2022

Published
2021

22. Hypothyroidism and metabolic cardiovascular disease

Author

Armando Patrizio, Silvia Martina Ferrari, Giusy Elia, Francesca Ragusa, Eugenia Balestri, Chiara Botrini, Licia Rugani, Valeria Mazzi, Alessandro Antonelli, Poupak Fallahi, and Salvatore Benvenga

Subjects
overt hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, cardiovascular disease, levothyroxine, TSH, thyroid hormones, Diseases of the endocrine glands. Clinical endocrinology, RC648-665
Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide, representing a major health issue of social and economic relevance. Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are very common in the adult population, and both disorders may contribute to the onset and progression of CVD. After a brief description of the role of thyroid hormones (THs) on the physiology of the cardiovascular system and the potential mechanism that links THs alterations with changes in cardiac function, blood pressure, endothelial function, and lipid levels, we review updated data about the clinical impact of overt hypothyroidism (OH) and subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) on CV risk, CVD, and mortality. Furthermore, we summarize the current evidence for treating SCH with levothyroxine (L-T4). Several guidelines of distinguished endocrine societies recommend treatment for SCH with TSH higher than 10 mIU/L, where the benefit of L-T4 therapy is more evident for younger people, but still controversial in those aged over 65 years. Based on current knowledge, more research efforts are needed to better address the clinical management of CV risk and CVD in the elderly affected by SCH.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

23. Lactose intolerance and levothyroxine malabsorption: a review of the literature and report of a series of patients treated with liquid L-T4 without lactose

Author

Silvia Martina Ferrari, Armando Patrizio, Valeria Mazzi, Francesca Ragusa, Chiara Botrini, Giusy Elia, Eugenia Balestri, Emilio Barozzi, Licia Rugani, Fabiana Bracchitta, Giulio Stoppini, Giada Frenzilli, Enke Baldini, Camilla Virili, Salvatore Benvenga, Poupak Fallahi, and Alessandro Antonelli

Subjects
liquid L-T4, hypothyroidism, malabsorption, autoimmune thyroiditis, lactose intolerance, Diseases of the endocrine glands. Clinical endocrinology, RC648-665
Abstract

In hypothyroid patients needing large doses of levothyroxine (L-T4) (>1.7–2 μg/kg/day) to reach euthyroidism, lactose intolerance (LI) needs to be excluded, owing to the high prevalence in the population. If LI is present, a lactose-free diet decreases the rate of L-T4 malabsorption. However, an increased requirement of L-T4 is described in patients with LI, which can be beneficially treated using lactose-free L-T4 formulation. The lactose-free liquid L-T4 formulation is able to circumvent LI malabsorption leading to the normalization of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and long-term stable TSH levels.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

24. Simultaneous Occurrence of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma and Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Case Series with Literature Review

Author

Poupak Fallahi, Armando Patrizio, Giulio Stoppini, Giusy Elia, Francesca Ragusa, Sabrina Rosaria Paparo, Eugenia Balestri, Valeria Mazzi, Chiara Botrini, Gilda Varricchi, Salvatore Ulisse, Marco Ghionzoli, Alessandro Antonelli, and Silvia Martina Ferrari

Subjects
papillary thyroid cancer, medullary thyroid cancer, simultaneous cancers, RET mutation, thyroid ultrasound, Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens, RC254-282
Abstract

Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of differentiated TC, while medullary TC (MTC) accounts for 4%. The concomitant presence of PTC and MTC is rare. Methods: This is a retrospective, single-center observational study conducted over 16 years (2001–2017). The data were collected from the clinical records of patients who underwent total thyroidectomy at the Endocrine Unit-Department of Medicine of the University Hospital of Pisa, Italy. Results: Over 690 analyzed cases, 650 (94.2%) were exclusive DTC, 19 exclusive MTC (2.75%) and 5 PTC/MTC (0.7%). No case of mixed medullary/follicular TC or hereditary MTC (familial MTC/multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2) was found. Among the five PTC/MTC cases, there was a male prevalence (M:F = 3:2), and all PTC components were at stage I, whereas 40% of MTC were at stage I and III and 20% of MTC were at stage II; microPTC (mPTC) was prevalent (80%) and also microMTCs were frequent (40%); 60% of MTC patients recovered, while 40% of patients developed metastatic disease. The search for germline mutations of the RET gene resulted in being negative in all cases. Conclusions: The incidence of PTC/MTC has been increasing over the past 30 years. The etiology of PTC/MTC forms is still unknown, and although this simultaneous occurrence could be only a coincidence, we cannot exclude the hypothesis of a shared genetic origin.

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

25. Exploring the use of cluster analysis to assess antibiotic stewardship in critically-ill neonates in a low resource setting

Author

Roberto Benoni, Eleonora Balestri, Tariqua Endrias, Jiksa Tolera, Martina Borellini, Margherita Calia, Filippo Biasci, and Luigi Pisani

Subjects
Neonatal sepsis, Antibiotic stewardship, Cluster analysis, Multidrug resistance, Infectious and parasitic diseases, RC109-216
Abstract

Abstract Background Sepsis is the third leading cause of neonatal death in low and middle-income countries, accounting for one third of all deaths in Ethiopia. A concerning issue is the increasing number of multidrug-resistant microorganisms facilitated by suboptimal antibiotic stewardship. The study aims to identify clusters of newborns switching antibiotic lines for sepsis in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Ethiopia, and to explore their potential association with sepsis outcomes. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted including all newborns discharged with a diagnosis of probable neonatal sepsis from the St. Luke Catholic Hospital NICU between April and July 2021. The antibiotic management protocol included two lines according to WHO guidelines and a third line based on internal hospital guidelines. In the cluster analysis, the Gower distance was estimated based on the antibiotics employed in the different lines and the duration of each line. Mortality and respiratory distress (RD) were the response variables. Results In the study period, 456 newborns were admitted to the NICU and 196 (42.8%) had probable neonatal sepsis. Four antibiotic management clusters were identified. Cluster 1 (n = 145, 74.4%) had no antibiotic switches, using only the first line. Cluster 2 (n = 26, 13.3%) had one switch from the first to the second line. Cluster 4 (n = 9, 4.6%) had two switches: from first to second and then to third line. In cluster 3 (n = 15, 7.7%), newborns were switched from ceftriaxone/cloxacillin as second line to off-protocol antibiotics. There were no differences in sex, age, weight on admission or crude mortality between clusters. Cluster 3 included a higher frequency of infants who did not breathe at birth (53.3%, p = 0.011) and that necessitated bag ventilation (46.7%, p = 0.039) compared to the other clusters. Conclusions The first antibiotic line failed in one out of four newborns with probable sepsis while third-generation cephalosporins were insufficient in one in ten patients. Cluster analysis can provide valuable insights into antibiotic treatment patterns and their potential implications. This approach may support antibiotic stewardship and aid in contrasting antimicrobial resistance in limited resource settings.

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

26. Active Learning Increases Knowledge and Understanding of Wildlife Friendly Farming in Middle School Students in Java, Indonesia

Author

Michela Balestri, Marco Campera, Budiadi Budiadi, Muhammad Ali Imron, and K. A. I. Nekaris

Subjects
knowledge transfer, learning styles, coffee, environmental education, conservation education, agroforestry, Electronic computers. Computer science, QA75.5-76.95
Abstract

The main objective of environmental education is to promote pro-environmental behaviors; increasing knowledge and understanding are the first steps. Active learning plays a crucial role in increasing engagement levels and achieving positive behavioral development. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a wildlife-friendly farming curriculum, including active learning, presented to 223 students aged 13–15 years from ten middle schools in Garut Regency, Indonesia, from June to September 2019. Using pre- and post-questionnaires, we found that knowledge retention and understanding increased if students completed an exercise that involved an active discussion with parents and if the class was engaged (monitored via WhatsApp groups) in an active learning experiment. Key concepts regarding wildlife-friendly farming, such as mutual benefits for wildlife and humans, the provision of ecosystem services by animals, and the use of organic farming, were more frequent if students discussed the program with parents or if they were engaged during the experiment. We found evidence that student engagement via active learning increased knowledge retention and understanding of wildlife-friendly farming. Similar approaches should be used to promote wildlife-friendly farming approaches from even younger ages and should be tested with other projects aimed at producing pro-environmental behaviors.

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

27. Learning teamworking and non-technical skills: a pilot study of a postgraduate course at the University of Florence

Author

Veronica Verde, Yari Bardacci, Lorenzo Ballerini, Samuele Baldassini Rodriguez, Chiara Balestri, Paolo Iovino, Simone Belli, and Stefano Bambi

Subjects
simulation, non-technical skills, training, healthcare, gaming, virtual simulation, Nursing, RT1-120
Abstract

Abstract Background: Non-technical skills (NTS) are the cognitive and social skills that integrate the technical skills of a worker. In healthcare systems, NTS exert positive effects on patients’ safety and healthcare professionals’ efficiency. Aim: This study aims to assess the degree of NTS knowledge, before and after a workshop administered to a group of 17 nursing students attending a critical care nursing postgraduate course at the University of Florence. Methods: A cross-over design study was conducted. The workshop was composed of short lectures on “fundamentals of teamworking” and “team building and communication”, followed by team activities and gaming. At the end of the day a medical “escape room” about a shock scenario, was developed and run by the students. A questionnaire investigating participants’ entertainment and self-evaluation of NTS use, was administered at the end of the simulation sessions. Results: A sample of 17 nurses was enrolled. Pre-posttests were completed by 16 participants. Seventy-five % (n=12) of the respondents found the team working activities exciting. Most of the participants (62.5%, n=10) considered the “escape shock room game” enjoyable and stimulating and would recommend the learning activities to other healthcare professionals (75%, n=12). Compared to pre-test scores, statistically, significant improvements in NTS understanding were found on the topics of “team building” (p

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

30. Let's Get Virtual! Reinventing a Science Festival during a Pandemic: Limitations and Insights

Author

Balestri, Michela, Campera, Marco, Beaman, Ellie, Bell, Daniel, Pink, Ryan, and Nekaris, K. A. I.

Abstract

Non-formal, yet educative, activities such as science festivals can positively influence the public regarding their attitude towards Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects and students' willingness to pursue STEM-related careers. We evaluate the changes made to adapt the Oxford Brookes Science Bazaar, a science festival that has been delivered face-to-face since 2008, to a virtual format in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The online festival included 28 pre-recorded and 12 live activities of different types (hands-on, demonstration, games, lectures, podcasts, virtual tours). Hands-on activities and virtual tours had the highest number of unique viewers, while lectures and podcasts were the least watched. The videos were watched also after the advertised date of the festival and reached a broader audience than the physical events. The number of participants, the holding time, and the proportion of people who filled the feedback forms, however, were lower in the online than the physical events. STEM organisations should consider hybrid events, with both virtual and in-person contents, to reach a broader audience and to create more inclusive events. We provide recommendations on how to maximise the benefit of virtual formats, including expanding blended virtual activities to reach a wider variety of age groups.

Published
2022
Full Text
View/download PDF

31. Correction to: Long-term Effectiveness and Safety of Upadacitinib for Atopic Dermatitis in a Real-world Setting: An Interim Analysis Through 48 Weeks of Observation

Author

Chiricozzi, Andrea, Ortoncelli, Michela, Schena, Donatella, Gori, Niccolò, Ferrucci, Silvia Mariel, Babino, Graziella, Napolitano, Maddalena, Fargnoli, Maria Concetta, Stingeni, Luca, Rossi, Mariateresa, Romanelli, Marco, Balestri, Riccardo, Pellegrino, Michele, Parodi, Aurora, Bertoldi, Alberto Maria, Palazzo, Giovanni, Antonelli, Flaminia, Pitino, Annalisa, Tripepi, Giovanni, Fabbrocini, Gabriella, Balato, Anna, Marzano, Angelo Valerio, Girolomoni, Giampiero, Ribero, Simone, and Peris, Ketty

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

32. The visible-light-promoted intermolecular para-cycloadditions of allenamides on naphthalene

Author

Maurizio Chiminelli, Gabriele Scarica, Davide Balestri, Luciano Marchiò, Nicola Della Ca’, and Giovanni Maestri

Subjects
Allenes, Cycloadditions, Dearomatization, Photocatalysis, Polycycles, Organic chemistry, QD241-441
Abstract

The preparation of bridged bicyclooctadienes through the dearomatization of simple arenes is an interesting synthetic tool to access a vast chemical space of elegant molecular architectures from a wide range of simple and cheap building blocks. However, the energetic toll due to the loss of the aromatic stabilization has greatly limited the development of para-cycloadditions, especially with respect to intermolecular processes. We report herein the first general approach for the selective dearomatization of simple naphthalene. The visible-light-promoted reaction occurs under mild conditions over an ample range of substrates and it involves the initial sensitization of an acylallenamide. Moreover, complete control on the difunctionalization of either the internal or the terminal C–C double bond is observed depending on the substrate functionalization.

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

33. Impact of COVID-19 and vaccination campaign on 1,755 systemic sclerosis patients during first three years of pandemic. Possible risks for individuals with impaired immunoreactivity to vaccine, ongoing immunomodulating treatments, and disease-related lung involvement during the next pandemic phase

Author

Clodoveo Ferri, Vincenzo Raimondo, Dilia Giuggioli, Laura Gragnani, Serena Lorini, Lorenzo Dagna, Silvia Laura Bosello, Rosario Foti, Valeria Riccieri, Serena Guiducci, Giovanna Cuomo, Antonio Tavoni, Rossella De Angelis, Fabio Cacciapaglia, Elisabetta Zanatta, Franco Cozzi, Giuseppe Murdaca, Ilaria Cavazzana, Nicoletta Romeo, Veronica Codullo, Roberta Pellegrini, Giuseppe Varcasia, Maria De Santis, Carlo Selmi, Giuseppina Abignano, Maurizio Caminiti, Massimo L'Andolina, Domenico Olivo, Ennio Lubrano, Amelia Spinella, Federica Lumetti, Giacomo De Luca, Piero Ruscitti, Teresa Urraro, Marcella Visentini, Silvia Bellando-Randone, Elisa Visalli, Davide Testa, Gabriella Sciascia, Francesco Masini, Greta Pellegrino, Francesca Saccon, Eugenia Balestri, Giusy Elia, Silvia Martina Ferrari, Antonio Tonutti, Francesca Dall’Ara, Giuseppa Pagano Mariano, Giorgio Pettiti, Giovanni Zanframundo, Raffaele Brittelli, Vincenzo Aiello, Ylenia Dal Bosco, Roberta Foti, Ilenia Di Cola, Daniela Scorpiniti, Enrico Fusaro, Tommaso Ferrari, Pietro Gigliotti, Corrado Campochiaro, Francesca Francioso, Carlo Iandoli, Virginia Caira, Anna Linda Zignego, Salvatore D'Angelo, Franco Franceschini, Marco Matucci-Cerinic, Roberto Giacomelli, Andrea Doria, Stefano Angelo Santini, Poupak Fallahi, Florenzo Iannone, and Alessandro Antonelli

Subjects
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Systemic sclerosis, Scleroderma, Interstitial lung disease, COVID-19 vaccine, Immunologic diseases. Allergy, RC581-607
Abstract

Introduction: The impact of COVID-19 pandemic represents a serious challenge for ‘frail’ patients' populations with inflammatory autoimmune systemic diseases such as systemic sclerosis (SSc). We investigated the prevalence and severity of COVID-19, as well the effects of COVID-19 vaccination campaign in a large series of SSc patients followed for the entire period (first 38 months) of pandemic. Patients and method: This prospective survey study included 1755 unselected SSc patients (186 M, 1,569F; mean age 58.7 ± 13.4SD years, mean disease duration 8.8 ± 7.3SD years) recruited in part by telephone survey at 37 referral centers from February 2020 to April 2023. The following parameters were carefully evaluated: i. demographic, clinical, serological, and therapeutical features; ii. prevalence and severity of COVID-19; and iii. safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Results: The prevalence of COVID-19 recorded during the whole pandemic was significantly higher compared to Italian general population (47.3 % vs 43.3 %, p

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

34. Respiratory patterns and baroreflex function in heart failure

Author

Alberto Radaelli, Giuseppe Mancia, Giulia Balestri, Daniela Bonfanti, and Paolo Castiglioni

Subjects
Medicine, Science
Abstract

Abstract Little is known on the effects of respiratory patterns on baroreflex function in heart failure (HF). Patients with HF (n = 30, age 61.6 ± 10 years, mean ± SD) and healthy controls (CNT, n = 10, age 58.9 ± 5.6 years) having their R–R interval (RRI, EKG), systolic arterial blood pressure (SBP, Finapres) and respiratory signal (RSP, Respitrace) monitored, were subjected to three recording sessions: free-breathing, fast- (≥ 12 bpm) and slow- (6 bpm) paced breathing. Baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and power spectra of RRI, SBP, and RSP signals were calculated. During free-breathing, compared to CNT, HF patients showed a significantly greater modulation of respiratory volumes in the very-low-frequency (

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

36. Secukinumab in Patients with Psoriasis and a Personal History of Malignancy: A Multicenter Real-Life Observational Study

Author

Pellegrini, Cristina, Esposito, Maria, Rossi, Ernesto, Gisondi, Paolo, Piaserico, Stefano, Dapavo, Paolo, Conti, Andrea, Gambardella, Alessio, Burlando, Martina, Narcisi, Alessandra, Offidani, Annamaria, Balestri, Riccardo, Bardazzi, Federico, Prignano, Francesca, Mugheddu, Cristina, Romanelli, Marco, Malara, Giovanna, Schinzari, Giovanni, and Fargnoli, Maria Concetta

Published
2022
Full Text
View/download PDF

37. Models of enzyme inhibition and apparent dissociation constants from kinetic analysis to study the differential inhibition of aldose reductase

Author

Francesco Balestri, Mario Cappiello, Roberta Moschini, Umberto Mura, and Antonella Del-Corso

Subjects
Enzyme inhibition, apparent kinetic constants, incomplete inhibition, aldose reductase, AKR1B1, Therapeutics. Pharmacology, RM1-950
Abstract

In order to explain the negative slope of [Formula: see text] versus inhibitor concentration observed in the study of epigallocatechin gallate acting as an inhibitor of aldose reductase, a kinetic analysis was performed to rationalise the phenomenon. Classical and non-classical models of complete and incomplete enzyme inhibition were devised and analysed to obtain rate equations suitable for the interpretation of experimental data. The results obtained from the different approaches were discussed in terms of the meaning of the emerging kinetic constants. A decrease of [Formula: see text] versus the inhibitor concentration was revealed to be a valuable indication of the occurrence of an incomplete inhibition. This indication, which is univocal in the case of an uncompetitive inhibition, may be especially useful when the residual activity resulting from inhibition is rather low.

Published
2022
Full Text
View/download PDF

38. Pleural mesothelioma risk in the construction industry: a case–control study in Italy, 2000–2018

Author

Stefania Curti, Stefano Mattioli, Dario Consonni, Sara Piro, Lucia Miligi, L Mangone, Maria Teresa Landi, Neil E Caporaso, Carolina Mensi, L Giovannetti, Elisabetta Chellini, Elisa Romeo, Alessandro Marinaccio, Antonella Stura, A Martini, Giovanni Brandi, Carlo Genova, M Gangemi, M Davoli, L Richiardi, P Michelozzi, G Serio, Luigi Vimercati, A Caputi, Enrica Migliore, AC Pesatori, L De Maria, Veronica Casotto, B Dallari, M Bonzini, U Fedeli, Alessandra Binazzi, Corrado Negro, Antonio Romanelli, Francesco Carrozza, Domenica Cavone, Federico Tallarigo, Massimo Melis, C Brentisci, M Gilardetti, C Storchi, O Sala, V Cacciarini, L Ancona, Sg Lio, G Frasca, Mc Giurdanella, C Martorana, P Rollo, E Spata, G Dardanoni, S Scondotto, S Stecchi, D Mirabelli, P De Michieli, Simona Stella, Carmela Gioscia, Silvia Eccher, Stefano Murano, Vera Comiati, Flavia D'Agostin, Lucia Benfatto, Iolanda Grappasonni, Gabriella Madeo, Ilaria Cozzi, Staniscia Tommaso, Michele Labianca, Giuseppe Cascone, D Di Marzio, S Rugarli, C Pascucci, A Balestri, MC Delfino, F Pentimone, and MR Angius

Subjects
Medicine
Abstract

Objectives Workers in the construction industry have been exposed to asbestos in various occupations. In Italy, a National Mesothelioma Registry has been implemented more than 20 years ago. Using cases selected from this registry and exploiting existing control data sets, we estimated relative risks for pleural mesothelioma (PM) among construction workers.Design Case–control study.Setting Cases from the National Mesothelioma Registry (2000–2018), controls from three previous case–control studies.Methods We selected male PM incident cases diagnosed in 2000–2018. Population controls were taken from three studies performed in six Italian regions within two periods (2002–2004 and 2012–2016). Age-adjusted and period-adjusted unconditional logistic regression models were fitted to estimate odds ratios (OR) for occupations in the construction industry. We followed two approaches, one (primary) excluding and the other (secondary) including subjects employed in other non-construction blue collar occupations for >5 years. For both approaches, we performed an overall analysis including all cases and, given the incomplete temporal and geographic overlap of cases and controls, three time or/and space restricted sensitivity analyses.Results The whole data set included 15 592 cases and 2210 controls. With the primary approach (4797 cases and 1085 controls), OR was 3.64 (2181 cases) for subjects ever employed in construction. We found elevated risks for blue-collar occupations (1993 cases, OR 4.52), including bricklayers (988 cases, OR 7.05), general construction workers (320 cases, OR 4.66), plumbers and pipe fitters (305 cases, OR 9.13), painters (104 cases, OR 2.17) and several others. Sensitivity analyses yielded very similar findings. Using the secondary approach, we observed similar patterns, but ORs were remarkably lower.Conclusions We found markedly increased PM risks for most occupations in the construction industry. These findings are relevant for compensation of subjects affected with mesothelioma in the construction industry.

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

39. Autoimmune bullous dermatoses in cancer patients treated by immunotherapy: a literature review and Italian multicentric experience

Author

Martina Merli, Martina Accorinti, Maurizio Romagnuolo, Angelo Marzano, Giovanni Di Zenzo, Francesco Moro, Emiliano Antiga, Roberto Maglie, Emanuele Cozzani, Aurora Parodi, Giulia Gasparini, Pietro Sollena, Clara De Simone, Marzia Caproni, Luigi Pisano, Davide Fattore, Riccardo Balestri, Paolo Sena, Pamela Vezzoli, Miriam Teoli, Marco Ardigò, Camilla Vassallo, Andrea Michelerio, Rosanna Rita Satta, Emi Dika, Barbara Melotti, Simone Ribero, and Pietro Quaglino

Subjects
immunotherapy, anti PD-1, anti PD-L1, cutaneous irAE, bullous pemphigoid, lichen planus pemphigoides, Medicine (General), R5-920
Abstract

Cutaneous immune-related adverse events are frequently associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) administration in cancer patients. In fact, these monoclonal antibodies bind the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 and programmed cell death-1/ligand 1 leading to a non-specific activation of the immune system against both tumoral cells and self-antigens. The skin is the most frequently affected organ system appearing involved especially by inflammatory manifestations such as maculopapular, lichenoid, psoriatic, and eczematous eruptions. Although less common, ICI-induced autoimmune blistering diseases have also been reported, with an estimated overall incidence of less than 5%. Bullous pemphigoid-like eruption is the predominant phenotype, while lichen planus pemphigoides, pemphigus vulgaris, and mucous membrane pemphigoid have been described anecdotally. Overall, they have a wide range of clinical presentations and often overlap with each other leading to a delayed diagnosis. Achieving adequate control of skin toxicity in these cases often requires immunosuppressive systemic therapies and/or interruption of ICI treatment, presenting a therapeutic challenge in the context of cancer management. In this study, we present a case series from Italy based on a multicenter, retrospective, observational study, which included 45 patients treated with ICIs who developed ICI-induced bullous pemphigoid. In addition, we performed a comprehensive review to identify the cases reported in the literature on ICI-induced autoimmune bullous diseases. Several theories seeking their underlying pathogenesis have been reported and this work aims to better understand what is known so far on this issue.

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

40. Experimental research on the TCV tokamak

Author

B.P. Duval, A. Abdolmaleki, M. Agostini, C.J. Ajay, S. Alberti, E. Alessi, G. Anastasiou, Y. Andrèbe, G.M. Apruzzese, F. Auriemma, J. Ayllon-Guerola, F. Bagnato, A. Baillod, F. Bairaktaris, L. Balbinot, A. Balestri, M. Baquero-Ruiz, C. Barcellona, M. Bernert, W. Bin, P. Blanchard, J. Boedo, T. Bolzonella, F. Bombarda, L. Boncagni, M. Bonotto, T.O.S.J. Bosman, D. Brida, D. Brunetti, J. Buchli, J. Buerman, P. Buratti, A. Burckhart, D. Busil, J. Caloud, Y. Camenen, A. Cardinali, S. Carli, D. Carnevale, F. Carpanese, M. Carpita, C. Castaldo, F. Causa, J. Cavalier, M. Cavedon, J.A. Cazabonne, J. Cerovsky, B. Chapman, M. Chernyshova, P. Chmielewski, A. Chomiczewska, G. Ciraolo, S. Coda, C. Colandrea, C. Contré, R. Coosemans, L. Cordaro, S. Costea, T. Craciunescu, K. Crombe, A. Dal Molin, O. D’Arcangelo, D. de Las Casas, J. Decker, J. Degrave, H. de Oliveira, G.L. Derks, L.E. di Grazia, C. Donner, M. Dreval, M.G. Dunne, G. Durr-Legoupil-Nicoud, B. Esposito, T. Ewalds, M. Faitsch, M. Farník, A. Fasoli, F. Felici, J. Ferreira, O. Février, O. Ficker, A. Frank, E. Fransson, L. Frassinetti, L. Fritz, I. Furno, D. Galassi, K. Gałązka, J. Galdon-Quiroga, S. Galeani, C. Galperti, S. Garavaglia, M. Garcia-Munoz, P. Gaudio, M. Gelfusa, J. Genoud, R. Gerrú Miguelanez, G. Ghillardi, M. Giacomin, L. Gil, A. Gillgren, C. Giroud, T. Golfinopoulos, T. Goodman, G. Gorini, S. Gorno, G. Grenfell, M. Griener, M. Gruca, T. Gyergyek, R. Hafner, M. Hamed, D. Hamm, W. Han, G. Harrer, J.R. Harrison, D. Hassabis, S. Henderson, P. Hennequin, J. Hidalgo-Salaverri, J-P. Hogge, M. Hoppe, J. Horacek, A. Huber, E. Huett, A. Iantchenko, P. Innocente, C. Ionita-Schrittwieser, I. Ivanova Stanik, M. Jablczynska, A. Jansen van Vuuren, A. Jardin, H. Järleblad, A.E. Järvinen, J. Kalis, R. Karimov, A.N. Karpushov, K. Kavukcuoglu, J. Kay, Y. Kazakov, J. Keeling, A. Kirjasuo, J.T.W. Koenders, P. Kohli, M. Komm, M. Kong, J. Kovacic, E. Kowalska-Strzeciwilk, O. Krutkin, O. Kudlacek, U. Kumar, R. Kwiatkowski, B. Labit, L. Laguardia, E. Laszynska, A. Lazaros, K. Lee, E. Lerche, B. Linehan, D. Liuzza, T. Lunt, E. Macusova, D. Mancini, P. Mantica, M. Maraschek, G. Marceca, S. Marchioni, A. Mariani, M. Marin, A. Marinoni, L. Martellucci, Y. Martin, P. Martin, L. Martinelli, F. Martinelli, J.R. Martin-Solis, S. Masillo, R. Masocco, V. Masson, A. Mathews, M. Mattei, D. Mazon, S. Mazzi, S.Y. Medvedev, C. Meineri, A. Mele, V. Menkovski, A. Merle, H. Meyer, K. Mikszuta-Michalik, I.G. Miron, P.A. Molina Cabrera, A. Moro, A. Murari, P. Muscente, D. Mykytchuk, F. Nabais, F. Napoli, R.D. Nem, M. Neunert, S.K. Nielsen, A. Nielsen, M. Nocente, S. Noury, S. Nowak, H. Nyström, N. Offeddu, S. Olasz, F. Oliva, D.S. Oliveira, F.P. Orsitto, N. Osborne, P. Oyola Dominguez, O. Pan, E. Panontin, A.D. Papadopoulos, P. Papagiannis, G. Papp, M. Passoni, F. Pastore, A. Pau, R.O. Pavlichenko, A.C. Pedersen, M. Pedrini, G. Pelka, E. Peluso, A. Perek, C. Perez Von Thun, F. Pesamosca, D. Pfau, V. Piergotti, L. Pigatto, C. Piron, L. Piron, A. Pironti, U. Plank, V. Plyusnin, Y.R.J. Poels, G.I. Pokol, J. Poley-Sanjuan, M. Poradzinski, L. Porte, C. Possieri, A. Poulsen, M.J. Pueschel, T. Pütterich, V. Quadri, M. Rabinski, R. Ragona, H. Raj, A. Redl, H. Reimerdes, C. Reux, D. Ricci, M. Riedmiller, S. Rienäcker, D. Rigamonti, N. Rispoli, J.F. Rivero-Rodriguez, C.F. Romero Madrid, J. Rueda Rueda, P.J. Ryan, M. Salewski, A. Salmi, M. Sassano, O. Sauter, N. Schoonheere, R.W. Schrittwieser, F. Sciortino, A. Selce, L. Senni, S. Sharapov, U.A. Sheikh, B. Sieglin, M. Silva, D. Silvagni, B. Simmendefeldt Schmidt, L. Simons, E.R. Solano, C. Sozzi, M. Spolaore, L. Spolladore, A. Stagni, P. Strand, G. Sun, W. Suttrop, J. Svoboda, B. Tal, T. Tala, P. Tamain, M. Tardocchi, A. Tema Biwole, A. Tenaglia, D. Terranova, D. Testa, C. Theiler, A. Thornton, A.S. Thrysoe, M. Tomes, E. Tonello, H. Torreblanca, B. Tracey, M. Tsimpoukelli, C. Tsironis, C.K. Tsui, M. Ugoletti, M. Vallar, M. van Berkel, S. van Mulders, M. van Rossem, C. Venturini, M. Veranda, T. Verdier, K. Verhaegh, L. Vermare, N. Vianello, E. Viezzer, F. Villone, B. Vincent, P. Vincenzi, I. Voitsekhovitch, L. Votta, N.M.T. Vu, Y. Wang, E. Wang, T. Wauters, M. Weiland, H. Weisen, N. Wendler, S. Wiesen, M. Wiesenberger, T. Wijkamp, C. Wüthrich, D. Yadykin, H. Yang, V. Yanovskiy, J. Zebrowski, P. Zestanakis, M. Zuin, and M. Zurita

Subjects
TCV, review, plasma, SPC, EPFL, Nuclear and particle physics. Atomic energy. Radioactivity, QC770-798
Abstract

Tokamak à configuration variable (TCV), recently celebrating 30 years of near-continual operation, continues in its missions to advance outstanding key physics and operational scenario issues for ITER and the design of future power plants such as DEMO. The main machine heating systems and operational changes are first described. Then follow five sections: plasma scenarios. ITER Base-Line (IBL) discharges, triangularity studies together with X3 heating and N2 seeding. Edge localised mode suppression, with a high radiation region near the X-point is reported with N _2 injection with and without divertor baffles in a snowflake configuration. Negative triangularity (NT) discharges attained record, albeit transient, β _N ∼ 3 with lower turbulence, higher low-Z impurity transport, vertical stability and density limits and core transport better than the IBL. Positive triangularity L-Mode linear and saturated ohmic confinement confinement saturation, often-correlated with intrinsic toroidal rotation reversals, was probed for D, H and He working gases. H-mode confinement and pedestal studies were extended to low collisionality with electron cyclotron heating obtaining steady state electron iternal transport barrier with neutral beam heating (NBH), and NBH driven H-mode configurations with off-axis co-electron cyclotron current drive. Fast particle physics. The physics of disruptions, runaway electrons and fast ions (FIs) was developed using near-full current conversion at disruption with recombination thresholds characterised for impurity species (Ne, Ar, Kr). Different flushing gases (D2, H2) and pathways to trigger a benign disruption were explored. The 55 kV NBH II generated a rich Alfvénic spectrum modulating the FI fas ion loss detector signal. NT configurations showed less toroidal Alfvén excitation activity preferentially affecting higher FI pitch angles. Scrape-off layer and edge physics. gas puff imaging systems characterised turbulent plasma ejection for several advanced divertor configurations, including NT. Combined diagnostic array divertor state analysis in detachment conditions was compared to modelling revealing an importance for molecular processes. Divertor physics. Internal gas baffles diversified to include shorter/longer structures on the high and/or low field side to probe compressive efficiency. Divertor studies concentrated upon mitigating target power, facilitating detachment and increasing the radiated power fraction employing alternative divertor geometries, optimised X-point radiator regimes and long-legged configurations. Smaller-than-expected improvements with total flux expansion were better modelled when including parallel flows. Peak outer target heat flux reduction was achieved (>50%) for high flux-expansion geometries, maintaining core performance ( H _98 > 1). A reduction in target heat loads and facilitated detachment access at lower core densities is reported. Real-time control. TCV’s real-time control upgrades employed MIMO gas injector control of stable, robust, partial detachment and plasma β feedback control avoiding neoclassical tearing modes with plasma confinement changes. Machine-learning enhancements include trajectory tracking disruption proximity and avoidance as well as a first-of-its-kind reinforcement learning-based controller for the plasma equilibrium trained entirely on a free-boundary simulator. Finally, a short description of TCV’s immediate future plans will be given.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

41. First-principle based predictions of the effects of negative triangularity on DTT scenarios

Author

A. Mariani, A. Balestri, P. Mantica, G. Merlo, R. Ambrosino, L. Balbinot, D. Brioschi, I. Casiraghi, A. Castaldo, L. Frassinetti, V. Fusco, P. Innocente, O. Sauter, and G. Vlad

Subjects
DTT, negative triangularity, heat transport, turbulence, gyrokinetics, Nuclear and particle physics. Atomic energy. Radioactivity, QC770-798
Abstract

Plasmas with negative triangularity (NT) shape have been recently shown to be able to achieve H-mode levels of confinement in L-mode, avoiding detrimental edge localised modes. Therefore, this plasma geometry is now studied as a possible viable option for a future fusion reactor. Within this framework, an NT option is under investigation for the full power scenario of the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility, under construction in Italy, with $\delta_\mathrm{top} = -0.32/\delta_\mathrm{bottom}\simeq0.02$ top/bottom triangularity values at the separatrix. The transport properties of this scenario are studied in this work. Gyrokinetic GENE simulations and integrated modelling using ASTRA with the quasi-linear trapped gyro-Landau fluid (TGLF) model have been performed. The emerging picture from the ASTRA-TGLF runs with boundary conditions at $\rho_\mathrm{tor} = 0.94$ is that, in the L-mode NT option, the larger peaking of the kinetic profiles in the edge region is not sufficient to recover the loss of the PT H-mode pedestal, and reach similar central temperature values. Two additional shapes are also considered, obtained by flipping the triangularity of the scenarios, to single out the effect of the triangularity sign. A negligible ‘direct’ effect of the triangularity is found for the L-mode, while a small beneficial effect is observed for the H-mode. The ASTRA-TGLF results are validated by GENE and TGLF stand-alone at two selected radii. GENE shows ITG dominant micro-instability and explains the small beneficial effect of the NT for the H-mode as due to a strong reduction of the heat fluxes, when reversing the triangularity, with a relatively high $T_\mathrm{i}$ stiffness. An improvement of the predicted performances of the NT DTT scenario could come from $\rho_\mathrm{tor}\gtrsim0.9$ , as indicated by some recent experiments at the tokamak à configuration variable (TCV) and ASDEX Upgrade.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

42. Overview of the EUROfusion Tokamak Exploitation programme in support of ITER and DEMO

Author

E. Joffrin, M. Wischmeier, M. Baruzzo, A. Hakola, A. Kappatou, D. Keeling, B. Labit, E. Tsitrone, N. Vianello, the ASDEX Upgrade Team, JET Contributors, the MAST-U Team, the TCV Team, the WEST Team, the EUROfusion Tokamak Exploitation Team:, D. Abate, J. Adamek, M. Agostini, C. Albert, F.C.P. Albert Devasagayam, S. Aleiferis, E. Alessi, J. Alhage, S. Allan, J. Allcock, M. Alonzo, G. Anastasiou, E. Andersson Sunden, C. Angioni, Y. Anquetin, L. Appel, G.M. Apruzzese, M. Ariola, C. Arnas, J.F. Artaud, W. Arter, O. Asztalos, L. Aucone, M.H. Aumeunier, F. Auriemma, J. Ayllon, E. Aymerich, A. Baciero, F. Bagnato, L. Bähner, F. Bairaktaris, P. Balázs, L. Balbinot, I. Balboa, M. Balden, A. Balestri, M. Baquero Ruiz, T. Barberis, C. Barcellona, O. Bardsley, S. Benkadda, T. Bensadon, E. Bernard, M. Bernert, H. Betar, R. Bianchetti Morales, J. Bielecki, R. Bilato, P. Bilkova, W. Bin, G. Birkenmeier, R. Bisson, P. Blanchard, A. Bleasdale, V. Bobkov, A. Boboc, A. Bock, K. Bogar, P. Bohm, T. Bolzonella, F. Bombarda, N. Bonanomi, L. Boncagni, D. Bonfiglio, R. Bonifetto, M. Bonotto, D. Borodin, I. Borodkina, T.O.S.J. Bosman, C. Bourdelle, C. Bowman, S. Brezinsek, D. Brida, F. Brochard, R. Brunet, D. Brunetti, V. Bruno, R. Buchholz, J. Buermans, H. Bufferand, P. Buratti, A. Burckhart, J. Cai, R. Calado, J. Caloud, S. Cancelli, F. Cani, B. Cannas, M. Cappelli, S. Carcangiu, A. Cardinali, S. Carli, D. Carnevale, M. Carole, M. Carpita, D. Carralero, F. Caruggi, I.S. Carvalho, I. Casiraghi, A. Casolari, F.J. Casson, C. Castaldo, A. Cathey, F. Causa, J. Cavalier, M. Cavedon, J. Cazabonne, M. Cecconello, L. Ceelen, A. Celora, J. Cerovsky, C.D. Challis, R. Chandra, A. Chankin, B. Chapman, H. Chen, M. Chernyshova, A.G. Chiariello, P. Chmielewski, A. Chomiczewska, C. Cianfarani, G. Ciraolo, J. Citrin, F. Clairet, S. Coda, R. Coelho, J.W. Coenen, I.H. Coffey, C. Colandrea, L. Colas, S. Conroy, C. Contre, N.J. Conway, L. Cordaro, Y. Corre, D. Costa, S. Costea, D. Coster, X. Courtois, C. Cowley, T. Craciunescu, G. Croci, A.M. Croitoru, K. Crombe, D.J. Cruz Zabala, G. Cseh, T. Czarski, A. Da Ros, A. Dal Molin, M. Dalla Rosa, Y. Damizia, O. D’Arcangelo, P. David, M. De Angeli, E. De la Cal, E. De La Luna, G. De Tommasi, J. Decker, R. Dejarnac, D. Del Sarto, G. Derks, C. Desgranges, P. Devynck, S. Di Genova, L.E. di Grazia, A. Di Siena, M. Dicorato, M. Diez, M. Dimitrova, T. Dittmar, L. Dittrich, J.J. Domínguez Palacios Durán, P. Donnel, D. Douai, S. Dowson, S. Doyle, M. Dreval, P. Drews, L. Dubus, R. Dumont, D. Dunai, M. Dunne, A. Durif, F. Durodie, G. Durr Legoupil Nicoud, B. Duval, R. Dux, T. Eich, A. Ekedahl, S. Elmore, G. Ericsson, J. Eriksson, B. Eriksson, F. Eriksson, S. Ertmer, A. Escarguel, B. Esposito, T. Estrada, E. Fable, M. Faitsch, N. Fakhrayi Mofrad, A. Fanni, T. Farley, M. Farník, N. Fedorczak, F. Felici, X. Feng, J. Ferreira, D. Ferreira, N. Ferron, O. Fevrier, O. Ficker, A.R. Field, A. Figueiredo, N. Fil, D. Fiorucci, M. Firdaouss, R. Fischer, M. Fitzgerald, M. Flebbe, M. Fontana, J. Fontdecaba Climent, A. Frank, E. Fransson, L. Frassinetti, D. Frigione, S. Futatani, R. Futtersack, S. Gabriellini, D. Gadariya, D. Galassi, K. Galazka, J. Galdon, S. Galeani, D. Gallart, A. Gallo, C. Galperti, M. Gambrioli, S. Garavaglia, J. Garcia, M. Garcia Munoz, J. Gardarein, L. Garzotti, J. Gaspar, R. Gatto, P. Gaudio, M. Gelfusa, J. Gerardin, S.N. Gerasimov, R. Gerru Miguelanez, G. Gervasini, Z. Ghani, F.M. Ghezzi, G. Ghillardi, L. Giannone, S. Gibson, L. Gil, A. Gillgren, E. Giovannozzi, C. Giroud, G. Giruzzi, T. Gleiter, M. Gobbin, V. Goloborodko, A. González Ganzábal, T. Goodman, V. Gopakumar, G. Gorini, T. Görler, S. Gorno, G. Granucci, D. Greenhouse, G. Grenfell, M. Griener, W. Gromelski, M. Groth, O. Grover, M. Gruca, A. Gude, C. Guillemaut, R. Guirlet, J. Gunn, T. Gyergyek, L. Hagg, J. Hall, C.J. Ham, M. Hamed, T. Happel, G. Harrer, J. Harrison, D. Harting, N.C. Hawkes, P. Heinrich, S. Henderson, P. Hennequin, R. Henriques, S. Heuraux, J. Hidalgo Salaverri, J. Hillairet, J.C. Hillesheim, A. Hjalmarsson, A. Ho, J. Hobirk, E. Hodille, M. Hölzl, M. Hoppe, J. Horacek, N. Horsten, L. Horvath, M. Houry, K. Hromasova, J. Huang, Z. Huang, A. Huber, E. Huett, P. Huynh, A. Iantchenko, M. Imrisek, P. Innocente, C. Ionita Schrittwieser, H. Isliker, P. Ivanova, I. Ivanova Stanik, M. Jablczynska, S. Jachmich, A.S. Jacobsen, P. Jacquet, A. Jansen van Vuuren, A. Jardin, H. Järleblad, A. Järvinen, F. Jaulmes, T. Jensen, I. Jepu, S. Jessica, T. Johnson, A. Juven, J. Kalis, J. Karhunen, R. Karimov, A.N. Karpushov, S. Kasilov, Y. Kazakov, P.V. Kazantzidis, W. Kernbichler, HT. Kim, D.B. King, V.G. Kiptily, A. Kirjasuo, K.K. Kirov, A. Kirschner, A. Kit, T. Kiviniemi, F. Kjær, E. Klinkby, A. Knieps, U. Knoche, M. Kochan, F. Köchl, G. Kocsis, J.T.W. Koenders, L. Kogan, Y. Kolesnichenko, Y. Kominis, M. Komm, M. Kong, B. Kool, S.B. Korsholm, D. Kos, M. Koubiti, J. Kovacic, Y. Kovtun, E. Kowalska Strzeciwilk, K. Koziol, M. Kozulia, A. Krämer Flecken, A. Kreter, K. Krieger, U. Kruezi, O. Krutkin, O. Kudlacek, U. Kumar, H. Kumpulainen, M.H. Kushoro, R. Kwiatkowski, M. La Matina, M. Lacquaniti, L. Laguardia, P. Lainer, P. Lang, M. Larsen, E. Laszynska, K.D. Lawson, A. Lazaros, E. Lazzaro, M.Y.K. Lee, S. Leerink, M. Lehnen, M. Lennholm, E. Lerche, Y. Liang, A. Lier, J. Likonen, O. Linder, B. Lipschultz, A. Listopad, X. Litaudon, E. Litherland Smith, D. Liuzza, T. Loarer, P.J. Lomas, J. Lombardo, N. Lonigro, R. Lorenzini, C. Lowry, T. Luda di Cortemiglia, A. Ludvig Osipov, T. Lunt, V. Lutsenko, E. Macusova, R. Mäenpää, P. Maget, C.F. Maggi, J. Mailloux, S. Makarov, K. Malinowski, P. Manas, A. Mancini, D. Mancini, P. Mantica, M. Mantsinen, J. Manyer, M. Maraschek, G. Marceca, G. Marcer, C. Marchetto, S. Marchioni, A. Mariani, M. Marin, M. Markl, T. Markovic, D. Marocco, S. Marsden, L. Martellucci, P. Martin, C. Martin, F. Martinelli, L. Martinelli, J.R. Martin Solis, R. Martone, M. Maslov, R. Masocco, M. Mattei, G.F. Matthews, D. Matveev, E. Matveeva, M.L. Mayoral, D. Mazon, S. Mazzi, C. Mazzotta, G. McArdle, R. McDermott, K. McKay, A.G. Meigs, C. Meineri, A. Mele, V. Menkovski, S. Menmuir, A. Merle, H. Meyer, K. Mikszuta Michalik, D. Milanesio, F. Militello, A. Milocco, I.G. Miron, J. Mitchell, R. Mitteau, V. Mitterauer, J. Mlynar, V. Moiseenko, P. Molna, F. Mombelli, C. Monti, A. Montisci, J. Morales, P. Moreau, J.M. Moret, A. Moro, D. Moulton, P. Mulholland, M. Muraglia, A. Murari, A. Muraro, P. Muscente, D. Mykytchuk, F. Nabais, Y. Nakeva, F. Napoli, E. Nardon, M.F. Nave, R.D. Nem, A. Nielsen, S.K. Nielsen, M. Nocente, R. Nouailletas, S. Nowak, H. Nyström, R. Ochoukov, N. Offeddu, S. Olasz, C. Olde, F. Oliva, D. Oliveira, H.J.C. Oliver, P. Ollus, J. Ongena, F.P. Orsitto, N. Osborne, R. Otin, P. Oyola Dominguez, D.I. Palade, S. Palomba, O. Pan, N. Panadero, E. Panontin, A. Papadopoulos, P. Papagiannis, G. Papp, V.V. Parail, C. Pardanaud, J. Parisi, A. Parrott, K. Paschalidis, M. Passoni, F. Pastore, A. Patel, B. Patel, A. Pau, G. Pautasso, R. Pavlichenko, E. Pawelec, B. Pegourie, G. Pelka, E. Peluso, A. Perek, E. Perelli Cippo, C. Perez Von Thun, P. Petersson, G. Petravich, Y. Peysson, V. Piergotti, L. Pigatto, C. Piron, L. Piron, A. Pironti, F. Pisano, U. Plank, B. Ploeckl, V. Plyusnin, A. Podolnik, Y. Poels, G. Pokol, J. Poley, G. Por, M. Poradzinski, F. Porcelli, L. Porte, C. Possieri, A. Poulsen, I. Predebon, G. Pucella, M. Pueschel, P. Puglia, O. Putignano, T. Pütterich, V. Quadri, A. Quercia, M. Rabinski, L. Radovanovic, R. Ragona, H. Raj, M. Rasinski, J. Rasmussen, G. Ratta, S. Ratynskaia, R. Rayaprolu, M. Rebai, A. Redl, D. Rees, D. Refy, M. Reich, H. Reimerdes, B.C.G. Reman, O. Renders, C. Reux, D. Ricci, M. Richou, S. Rienacker, D. Rigamonti, F. Rigollet, F.G. Rimini, D. Ripamonti, N. Rispoli, N. Rivals, J.F. Rivero Rodriguez, C. Roach, G. Rocchi, S. Rode, P. Rodrigues, J. Romazanov, C.F. Romero Madrid, J. Rosato, R. Rossi, G. Rubino, J. Rueda Rueda, J. Ruiz Ruiz, P. Ryan, D. Ryan, S. Saarelma, R. Sabot, M. Salewski, A. Salmi, L. Sanchis, A. Sand, J. Santos, K. Särkimäki, M. Sassano, O. Sauter, G. Schettini, S. Schmuck, P. Schneider, N. Schoonheere, R. Schramm, R. Schrittwieser, C. Schuster, N. Schwarz, F. Sciortino, M. Scotto D’Abusco, S. Scully, A. Selce, L. Senni, M. Senstius, G. Sergienko, S.E. Sharapov, R. Sharma, A. Shaw, U. Sheikh, G. Sias, B. Sieglin, S.A. Silburn, C. Silva, A. Silva, D. Silvagni, B. Simmendefeldt Schmidt, L. Simons, J. Simpson, L. Singh, S. Sipilä, Y. Siusko, S. Smith, A. Snicker, E.R. Solano, V. Solokha, M. Sos, C. Sozzi, F. Spineanu, G. Spizzo, M. Spolaore, L. Spolladore, C. Srinivasan, A. Stagni, Z. Stancar, G. Stankunas, J. Stober, P. Strand, C.I. Stuart, F. Subba, G.Y. Sun, H.J. Sun, W. Suttrop, J. Svoboda, T. Szepesi, G. Szepesi, B. Tal, T. Tala, P. Tamain, G. Tardini, M. Tardocchi, D. Taylor, G. Telesca, A. Tenaglia, A. Terra, D. Terranova, D. Testa, C. Theiler, E. Tholerus, B. Thomas, E. Thoren, A. Thornton, A. Thrysoe, Q. TICHIT, W. Tierens, A. Titarenko, P. Tolias, E. Tomasina, M. Tomes, E. Tonello, A. Tookey, M. Toscano Jiménez, C. Tsironis, C. Tsui, A. Tykhyy, M. Ugoletti, M. Usoltseva, D.F. Valcarcel, A. Valentini, M. Valisa, M. Vallar, M. Valovic, SI. Valvis, M. van Berkel, D. Van Eester, S. Van Mulders, M. van Rossem, R. Vann, B. Vanovac, J. Varela Rodriguez, J. Varje, S. Vartanian, M. Vecsei, L. Velarde Gallardo, M. Veranda, T. Verdier, G. Verdoolaege, K. Verhaegh, L. Vermare, G. Verona Rinati, J. Vicente, E. Viezzer, L. Vignitchouk, F. Villone, B. Vincent, P. Vincenzi, M.O. Vlad, G. Vogel, I. Voitsekhovitch, I. Voldiner, P. Vondracek, N.M.T. VU, T. Vuoriheimo, C. Wade, E. Wang, T. Wauters, M. Weiland, H. Weisen, N. Wendler, D. Weston, A. Widdowson, S. Wiesen, M. Wiesenberger, T. Wijkamp, M. Willensdorfer, T. Wilson, A. Wojenski, C. Wuethrich, I. Wyss, L. Xiang, S. Xu, D. Yadykin, Y. Yakovenko, H. Yang, V. Yanovskiy, R. Yi, B. Zaar, G. Zadvitskiy, L. Zakharov, P. Zanca, D. Zarzoso, Y. Zayachuk, J. Zebrowski, M. Zerbini, P. Zestanakis, C. F. B. Zimmermann, M. Zlobinski, A. Zohar, V.K. Zotta, X. Zou, M. Zuin, M. Zurita, and I. Zychor

Subjects
JET, ASDEX Upgrade, MAST-U, TCV, WEST, Tokamak Exploitation Task Force, Nuclear and particle physics. Atomic energy. Radioactivity, QC770-798
Abstract

Within the 9th European Framework programme, since 2021 EUROfusion is operating five tokamaks under the auspices of a single Task Force called ‘Tokamak Exploitation’. The goal is to benefit from the complementary capabilities of each machine in a coordinated way and help in developing a scientific output scalable to future largre machines. The programme of this Task Force ensures that ASDEX Upgrade, MAST-U, TCV, WEST and JET (since 2022) work together to achieve the objectives of Missions 1 and 2 of the EUROfusion Roadmap: i) demonstrate plasma scenarios that increase the success margin of ITER and satisfy the requirements of DEMO and, ii) demonstrate an integrated approach that can handle the large power leaving ITER and DEMO plasmas. The Tokamak Exploitation task force has therefore organized experiments on these two missions with the goal to strengthen the physics and operational basis for the ITER baseline scenario and for exploiting the recent plasma exhaust enhancements in all four devices (PEX: Plasma EXhaust) for exploring the solution for handling heat and particle exhaust in ITER and develop the conceptual solutions for DEMO. The ITER Baseline scenario has been developed in a similar way in ASDEX Upgrade, TCV and JET. Key risks for ITER such as disruptions and run-aways have been also investigated in TCV, ASDEX Upgrade and JET. Experiments have explored successfully different divertor configurations (standard, super-X, snowflakes) in MAST-U and TCV and studied tungsten melting in WEST and ASDEX Upgrade. The input from the smaller devices to JET has also been proven successful to set-up novel control schemes on disruption avoidance and detachment.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

43. Reducing transport via extreme flux-surface triangularity

Author

M.J. Pueschel, S. Coda, A. Balestri, J. Ball, R.J.J. Mackenbach, J.M. Duff, G. Snoep, and the TCV Team

Subjects
plasma shaping, negative triangularity, microinstabilities, plasma microturbulence, Nuclear and particle physics. Atomic energy. Radioactivity, QC770-798
Abstract

Based on a gyrokinetic analysis of and extrapolation from TCV discharges with large negative and positive triangularity δ , the potential of extreme $|\delta|$ in reducing turbulent transport is assessed. Linearly, both positive and negative δ can exert a stabilizing influence, with substantial sensitivity to the radial wavenumber k _x . Nonlinear fluxes are reduced at extreme δ in a trapped-electron-mode regime, whereas low-amplitude ion-temperature-gradient turbulence is boosted by large negative δ . Focusing on the former case, nonlinear fluxes exceed quasilinear ones at negative δ , a trend that reverses as δ > 0. A change in saturation efficiency is the cause of these features: the zonal-flow residual is boosted at δ > 0, reducing fluxes compared with the linear drive as δ is increased, and a shift towards larger zonal-flow scales occurs with increasing δ due to finite- k _x modes weakening with δ .

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

44. Divertor Tokamak Test facility project: status of design and implementation

Author

Francesco Romanelli, on behalf of DTT Contributors, D. Abate, E. Acampora, D. Agguiaro, R. Agnello, P. Agostinetti, M. Agostini, A. Aimetta, R. Albanese, G. Alberti, M. Albino, E. Alessi, S. Almaviva, M. Alonzo, R. Ambrosino, P. Andreoli, M. Angelone, M. Angelucci, C. Angioni, A. Angrisani Armenio, P. Antonini, D. Aprile, G. Apruzzese, M. Aquilini, G. Aragone, P. Arena, M. Ariola, G. Artaserse, L. Aucone, A. Augieri, F. Auriemma, J. Ayllon Guerola, N. Badodi, B. Baiocchi, L. Balbinot, C. Baldacchini, A. Balestri, T. Barberis, G. Barone, L. Barucca, M. Baruzzo, S. Begozzi, V. Belardi, F. Belli, A. Belpane, F. Beone, S. Bertolami, S. Bianucci, S. Bifaretti, S. Bigioni, W. Bin, P. Boccali, B. Boeswirth, E. Bogazzi, R. Bojoi, S. Bollanti, T. Bolzonella, F. Bombarda, M. Bonan, N. Bonanomi, A. Bonaventura, L. Boncagni, M. Bonesso, D. Bonfiglio, R. Bonifetto, D. Bonomi, D. Borgogno, T. Borzone, S. Botti, E. Boz, F. Braghin, M. Brena, S. Brezinsek, M. Brombin, A. Bruschi, S. Buonocore, P. Buratti, D. Busi, G. Calabrò, M. Caldora, G. Calvo, G. Camera, G. Campana, S. Candela, V. Candela, F. Cani, L. Cantone, F. Capaldo, S. Cappello, M. Caponero, S. Carchella, A. Cardinali, D. Carnevale, L. Carraro, C. Carrelli, V. Casalegno, I. Casiraghi, C. Castaldo, A. Castaldo, G. Castro, A. Carpignano, F. Causa, R. Cavazzana, M. Cavedon, M. Cavenago, M. Cecchini, S. Ceccuzzi, G. Celentano, L. Celona, C. Centioli, G.V. Centomani, S. Cesaroni, A.G. Chiariello, R. Chomicz, C. Cianfarani, F. Cichocki, M. Cinque, A. Cioffi, M. Ciotti, M. Cipriani, S. Ciufo, V. Claps, G. Claps, V. Coccorese, D. Coccorese, A. Colangeli, T. Coltella, F. Consoli, F. Cordella, D. Corradini, O. Costa, F. Crea, A. Cremona, F. Crescenzi, F. Crisanti, G. Cristofari, G. Croci, A. Cucchiaro, D. D’Ambrosio, M. Dal Molin, M. Dalla Palma, F. Danè, C. Day, M. De Angeli, V. De Leo, R. De Luca, E. De Marchi, G. De Marzi, G. De Masi, E. De Nardi, C. De Piccoli, G. De Sano, M. De Santis, G. De Tommasi, A. Del Nevo, A. Delfino, A. Della Corte, P. Deodati, S. Desiderati, E. Di Ferdinando, M.G. Di Florio, G. Di Gironimo, L.E. Di Grazia, V. Di Marzo, F. Di Paolo, E. Di Pietro, M. Di Pietrantonio, M. Di Prinzio, A. Di Silvestre, A. Di Zenobio, R. Dima, A. Domenichelli, A. Doria, G. Dose, S. Dubbioso, S. Dulla, I. Duran, M. Eboli, M. Elitropi, E. Emanuelli, B. Esposito, P. Ettorre, C. Fabbri, F. Fabbri, M. Fadone, M.M. Faggiano, F. Falcioni, M.V. Falessi, F. Fanale, P. Fanelli, A. Fassina, M. Favaretto, G. Favero, M. Ferraris, F. Ferrazza, C. Ferretti, A. Ferro, N. Ferron, C. Fiamozzi Zignani, L. Figini, F. Filippi, M. Filippini, A. Fimiani, M. Fincato, F. Fiorenza, D. Fiorucci, D. Flammini, F. Flora, N. Fonnesu, P. Franz, L. Frassinetti, A. Frattolillo, R. Freda, R. Fresa, A. Frescura, P. Frosi, M. Fulici, M. Furno Palumbo, V. Fusco, P. Fusco, L. Gabellier, P. Gaetani, E. Gaio, E. Gajetti, A. Galatà, J. Galdon Quiroga, D.L. Galindo Huertas, S. Gammino, G. Gandolfo, S. Garavaglia, J. Garcia Lopez, M. Garcia Muñoz, P. Gaudio, M. Gelfusa, G. Gervasini, L. Giannini, M. Giarrusso, C. Gil, F. Giorgetti, E. Giovannozzi, G. Giruzzi, L. Giudicotti, M. Gobbin, G. Gorini, G. Granucci, D. Grasso, T. Grasso, S. Grazioso, H. Greuner, G. Griva, G. Grosso, S. Guerini, J.P. Gunn, V. Hauer, J. Hidalgo Salaverri, M. Hoppe, M. Houry, M. Hoelzl, A. Iaboni, M. Iafrati, A. Iaiunese, V. Imbriani, D. Indrigo, P. Innocente, F. Koechl, B. Končar, A. Kryzhanovskyy, L. Laguardia, D.A. Lampasi, C. Lanchi, F. Lanzotti, A. Lanzotti, M. Laquaniti, F. Leone, J. Li, M. Libè, F. Lisanti, D. Liuzza, F. Locati, R. Lombroni, R. Lorenzini, P. Lorusso, L. Lotto, J. Loureiro, F. Lucca, T. Luda Di Cortemiglia, P. Maccari, G. Maddaluno, S. Magagnino, G. Manca, A. Mancini, P. Mandalà, B. Mandolesi, F. Mandrile, G. Manduchi, S. Manfrin, M. Manganelli, P. Mantica, G. Marchiori, N. Marconato, G. Marelli, A. Mariani, A. Marin, R. Marinari, M. Marinelli, F. Marino, P. Marino, D. Marocco, R. Marsilio, E. Martelli, P. Martin, F. Martinelli, G. Martini, R. Martone, A. Marucci, D. Marzullo, V. Masala, D. Mascali, F. Mascari, A. Masi, N. Massanova, S. Mastrostefano, M. Mattei, G. Mauro, S. Mauro, C. Meineri, L. Melaragni, A. Mele, P. Meller, S. Meloni, I. Menicucci, G. Messina, L. Mezi, G. Miccichè, M. Micheletti, S. Migliori, D. Milanesio, F. Milazzo, R. Milazzo, P. Minelli, S. Minucci, F. Mirizzi, M. Missirlian, D. Monarca, C. Monti, M. Mori, A. Moriani, L. Morici, A. Moro, F. Moro, P. Mosetti, R. Mozzillo, A. Murari, A. Muraro, D. Murra, P. Muscente, S. Musumeci, L. Muzzi, G.F. Nallo, F. Napoli, E. Nardon, E. Naselli, R. Neu, M. Nocente, M. Notazio, S. Nowak, E. Ocello, A. Oliva, V. Orsetti, A. Orsini, F.P. Orsitto, M. Ortino, M. Ottavi, G. Paccagnella, D. Pacella, I. Pagani, N. Paganucci, A. Pagliaro, V. Palazzolo, M. Palermo, S. Palomba, F. Panza, D. Paoletti, M. Parisi, R. Pasqualotto, S. Passarello, M. Passoni, T. Patton, L. Pelliccia, A. Peloso, A. Pepato, E. Perelli, A. Perencin, S. Peruzzo, A. Pesenti, N. Pedroni, P. Petrolini, V. Piergotti, A. Pidatella, L. Pigatto, M. Pillon, T. Pinna, S. Pipolo, S. Piras, C. Piron, L. Piron, A. Pironti, M. Pistilli, D. Placido, A. Pizzuto, P. Platania, A. Polimadei, F. Pollastrone, G.M. Polli, N. Pomaro, F. Pompili, C. Ponti, F. Porcelli, V. Prandelli, A. Previti, A. Princiotta, G. Pucino, F. Quaglia, A. Quercia, F. Raffaelli, G. Ramogida, G. Ranieri, B. Raspante, D. Ravarotto, G.L. Ravera, A. Reale, P. Rebesan, M. Recchia, D. Regine, F. Renno, B. Riccardi, D. Ricci, D. Rigamonti, M. Ripani, N. Rispoli, S. Roccella, G. Rocchi, H. Roche, M. Romanato, F. Romanelli, G. Romanelli, R. Romaniello, A. Romano, M. Romano, R. Romano, R. Rossi, G. Rubinacci, G. Rubino, S. Rubino, J. Rueda Rueda, A. Rufoloni, C. Salvia, P. Salvini, M. Scarpari, A. Salvitti, L. Salvò, S. Sandri, F. Santoro, A. Satriano, L. Savoldi, C. Scardino, G. Schettini, S. Schmuck, J. Scionti, M. Scisciò, M. Scungio, K. Sedlak, L. Senni, G. Sias, A. Sibio, A. Simonetto, L. Singh, A. Sirignano, C. Sozzi, I. Spada, S. Spagnolo, L. Spinicci, G. Spizzo, M. Spolaore, C. Stefanini, H. Strobel, F. Subba, F. Taccogna, B. Taheri, C. Tantos, A. Tarallo, M. Tarantino, G. Tardini, M. Tardocchi, P. Tarfila, A. Tenaglia, C. Terlizzi, D. Terranova, D. Testa, E. Testa, R. Testoni, V. Toigo, G. Torrisi, A. Trotta, G. Trovato, E. Tsitrone, A. Tuccillo, O. Tudisco, M. Turcato, S. Turtù, A. Uccello, M. Ugoletti, O. Uras, M. Uras, M. Utili, V. Vaccaro, F. Valentini, L. Valletti, M. Valisa, D. Van Eester, D. Vanzan, E. Vassallo, G. Vecchi, M. Vellucci, I. Venneri, G. Ventura, M. Veranda, L. Verdini, C. Verona, G. Verona Rinati, F. Veronese, N. Vianello, F. Viganò, O. Villano, R. Villari, F. Villone, P. Vincenzi, V. Vitale, F. Vivio, G. Vlad, M. Wischmeier, H.S. Wu, I. Wyss, R. Zanino, B. Zaniol, F. Zanon, A. Zappatore, G. Zavarise, P. Zito, A. Zoppoli, M. Zucchetti, M. Zuin, and P. Zumbolo

Subjects
divertor, exhaust, plasma scenarios, Nuclear and particle physics. Atomic energy. Radioactivity, QC770-798
Abstract

An overview is presented of the progress since 2021 in the construction and scientific programme preparation of the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility. Licensing for building construction has been granted at the end of 2021. Licensing for Cat. A radiologic source has been also granted in 2022. The construction of the toroidal field magnet system is progressing. The prototype of the 170 GHz gyrotron has been produced and it is now under test on the FALCON facility. The design of the vacuum vessel, the poloidal field coils and the civil infrastructures has been completed. The shape of the first DTT divertor has been agreed with EUROfusion to test different plasma and exhaust scenarios: single null, double null, X-divertor and negative triangularity plasmas. A detailed research plan is being elaborated with the involvement of the EUROfusion laboratories.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

45. Negative triangularity scenarios: from TCV and AUG experiments to DTT predictions

Author

A. Mariani, L. Aucone, A. Balestri, P. Mantica, G. Merlo, R. Ambrosino, F. Bagnato, L. Balbinot, J. Ball, T. Bolzonella, D. Brioschi, I. Casiraghi, A. Castaldo, S. Coda, L. Frassinetti, V. Fusco, T. Happel, J. Hobirk, P. Innocente, R.M. McDermott, P. Muscente, T. Pütterich, O. Sauter, F. Sciortino, M. Vallar, B. Vanovac, N. Vianello, G. Vlad, C.F.B. Zimmermann, the EUROfusion Tokamak Exploitation team, the TCV Team, and the ASDEX Upgrade Team

Subjects
negative triangularity, heat transport, turbulence, gyrokinetics, DTT, TCV, Nuclear and particle physics. Atomic energy. Radioactivity, QC770-798
Abstract

Experiments, gyrokinetic simulations and transport predictions were performed to investigate if a negative triangularity (NT) L-mode option for the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) full-power scenario would perform similarly to the positive triangularity (PT) H-mode reference scenario, avoiding the harmful edge localized modes (ELMs). The simulations show that a beneficial effect of NT coming from the edge/scrape-off layer (SOL) region $\rho_{\mathrm{tor}} \gt 0.9$ is needed to allow the actual NT L-mode option to perform like the PT H-mode. Dedicated experiments at TCV and AUG, with DTT-like shapes, show an optimistic picture. In TCV, experiments indicate that even with the relatively small triangularity of the DTT NT scenario, a large beneficial effect of NT comes from the plasma edge and SOL, allowing NT L-modes to outperform PT L-modes with the same power input, reaching the same central pressures as PT H-modes with twice as much applied heating power. For AUG, NT plasmas go into H-mode more easily than for TCV, but always present much smaller pedestals compared with PT plasmas with the same input power, showing a much weaker or absent ELM activity. However, NT has a smaller beneficial effect for AUG than for TCV, with NT pulses outperforming PT pulses with the same input power only for an ECRH-only case with relatively low input power. For the considered AUG cases, PT pulses perform better than NT ones at higher ECRH power or with mixed NBI and ECRH power. Based on this analysis, the NT option is a viable alternative for the DTT full power scenario, providing high performance plasmas with reduced or absent ELMs.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

46. Physics basis for the divertor tokamak test facility

Author

F. Crisanti, R. Ambrosino, M.V. Falessi, L. Gabellieri, G. Giruzzi, G. Granucci, P. Innocente, P. Mantica, G. Ramogida, G. Vlad, R. Albanese, E. Alessi, C. Angioni, P. Agostinetti, L. Aucone, F. Auriemma, B. Baiocchi, L. Balbinot, A. Balestri, T. Barberis, M. Baruzzo, T. Bolzonella, N. Bonanomi, D. Bonfiglio, S. Brezinsek, G. Calabrò, F. Cani, I. Casiraghi, A. Castaldo, C. Castaldo, M. Cavedon, S. Ceccuzzi, F. Cichocki, M. Ciotti, C. Day, C. De Piccoli, G. Dose, E. Emanueli, L. Frassinetti, L. Figini, V. Fusco, E. Giovannozzi, M. Gobbin, F. Koechi, A. Kryzhanovskyy, Y. Li, R. Lombroni, T. Luda, A. Mariani, P. Martin, C. Meineri, A. Murari, P. Muscente, F. Napoli, E. Nardon, R. Neu, M. Nocente, M. Notazio, S. Nowak, L. Pigatto, C. Piron, F. Porcelli, S. Roccella, G. Rubino, M. Scarpari, C. Sozzi, G. Spizzo, F. Subba, F. Taccogna, C. Tantos, D. Terranova, E. Tsitrone, A. Uccello, D. Van Eester, N. Vianello, P. Vincenzi, M. Wischmeier, and F. Zonca

Subjects
plasma, experiment, theory, Nuclear and particle physics. Atomic energy. Radioactivity, QC770-798
Abstract

This paper is dealing with the physics basis used for the design of the Divertor Tokamak Test facility (DTT), under construction in Frascati (DTT 2019 DTT interim design report (2019)) Italy, and with the description of the main target plasma scenarios of the device. The main goal of the facility will be the study of the power exhaust, intended as a fully integrated core-edge problem, and eventually to propose an optimized divertor for the European DEMO plant. The approach used to design the facility is described and their main features are reported, by using simulations performed by state-of-the-art codes both for the bulk and edge studies. A detailed analysis of MHD, including also the possibility to study disruption events and Energetic Particles physics is also reported. Eventually, a description of the ongoing work to build-up a Research Plan written and shared by the full EUROfusion community is presented.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

48. Mapping Complex Mode Volumes with Cavity Perturbation Theory

Author

Cognee, K. G., Yan, W., La China, F., Balestri, D., Intonti, F., Gurioli, M., Koenderink, A. F., and Lalanne, P.

Subjects
Physics - Optics
Abstract

Microcavities and nanoresonators are characterized by their quality factors Q and mode volumes V. While Q is unambiguously defined, there are still questions on V and in particular on its complex-valued character, whose imaginary part is linked to the non-Hermitian nature of open systems. Helped by cavity perturbation theory and near field experimental data, we clarify the physics captured by the imaginary part of V and show how a mapping of the spatial distribution of both the real and imaginary parts can be directly inferred from perturbation measurements. This result shows that the mathematically abstract complex mode volume in fact is directly observable.

Published
2018

49. Surgical outcomes of gallbladder cancer: the OMEGA retrospective, multicentre, international cohort studyResearch in context

Author

Anita Balakrishnan, Petros Barmpounakis, Nikolaos Demiris, Asif Jah, Harry V.M. Spiers, Shibojit Talukder, Jack L. Martin, Paul Gibbs, Simon J.F. Harper, Emmanuel L. Huguet, Vasilis Kosmoliaptsis, Siong S. Liau, Raaj K. Praseedom, Bristi Basu, Xavier de Aretxabala, Javier Lendoire, Shishir Maithel, Alejandro Branes, Bodil Andersson, Alejandro Serrablo, Volkan Adsay, Tomoyuki Abe, Moh'd Abu Hilal, Maria del Mar Achalandabaso Boira, Mustapha Adham, Mohamed Adam, Maryam Ahmad, Bilal Al-Sarireh, Maite Albiol, Nassir Alhaboob, Adnan Alseidi, Houssem Ammar, Akshay Anand, Pantelis Antonakis, Veronica Araya, Stanley W. Ashley, Georgi Atanasov, Fabio Ausania, Ricardo Balestri, Abhirup Banerjee, Simon Banting, Giedrius Barauskas, Fabian Bartsch, Andrea Belli, Simona Beretta, Frederik Berrevoet, Gerardo Blanco Fernandez, Louisa Bolm, Mathieu Bonal, Emre Bozkurt, Andries E. Braat, Luke Bradshaw, Lyle Burdine, Matthew Byrne, Maria Caceres, Maria Jesus Castro Santiago, Benjamin Chan, Lynn Chong, Ahmet Çoker, Maria Conde Rodriguez, Daniel Croagh, Alyn Crutchley, Carmen Cutolo, Mathieu D'Hondt, Daniel D'Souza, Freek Daams, Raffaele Dalla Valle, José Davide, Mario de Bellis, Marieke de Boer, Celine de Meyere, Philip de Reuver, Matthew Dixon, Panagiotis Dorovinis, Gabriela Echeverría Bauer, Maria Eduarda, Hasan Eker, Joris Erdmann, Mert Erkan, Evangelos Felekouras, Emanuele Felli, Eduardo Fernandes, Eduardo Figueroa Rivera, Andras Fulop, Daniel Galun, Michael Gerhards, Poya Ghorbani, Fabio Giannone, Luis Gil, Emmanouil Giorgakis, Mario Giuffrida, Felice Giuliante, Ioannis Gkekas, Miguel Gomez Bravo, Bas Groot Koerkamp, Oscar Guevara, Alfredo Guglielmi, Aiste Gulla, Rahul Gupta, Amit Gupta, Marta Gutiérrez, Abu Bakar Hafeez Bhatti, Jeroen Hagendoorn, Zain Hajee, Abdul Rahman Hakeem, Hytham Hamid, Sayed Hassen, Stefan Heinrich, Ryota Higuchi, Daniel Hoffman, David Holroyd, Daniel Hughes, Arpad Ivanecz, Satheesh Iype, Isabel Jaen Torrejimeno, Shantanu Joglekar, Robert Jones, Klaus Kaczirek, Harsh Kanhere, Ambareen Kausar, Zhanyi Kee, Jessica Keilson, Jorg Kleef, Johannes Klose, Brett Knowles, Jun Kit Koong, Nagappan Kumar, Supreeth Kunnuru, Paleswan Joshi Lakhey, Andrea Laurenzi, Yeong Sing Lee, Felipe Leon, Voon Meng Leow, Jean-Baptiste Lequeu, Mickael Lesurtel, Elisabeth Lo, Stefan Löb, Elizabeth Lockie, Peter Lodge, Dolores López Garnica, Victor Lopez Lopez, Linda Lundgren, Nikolaos Machairas, Dhiresh Maharjan, Deep Malde, Guillaume Martel, Julie Martin, Michele Mazzola, Arianeb Mehrabi, Ricardo Memeo, Flavio Milana, George Molina, Leah Monette, Haluk Morgul, Dimitrios Moris, Antonios Morsi-Yeroyannis, Nicholas Mowbray, Francesk Mulita, Edoardo Maria Muttillo, Malith Nandasena, Pueya Rashid Nashidengo, Arash Nickkholgh, Colin Byron Noel, Masayuki Ohtsuka, Arturs Ozolins, Sanjay Pandanaboyana, Nikolaos Pararas, Alessandro Parente, June Peng, Arkaitz Perfecto Valero, Julie Perinel, Konstatinos Perivoliotis, Teresa Perra, Patrick Pessaux, Natalie Petruch, Gaetano Piccolo, Laszlo Piros, Alberto Porcu, Viswakumar Prabakaran, Raj Prasad, Mikel Prieto Calvo, Florian Primavesi, Eva Maria Pueyo Periz, Alberto Quaglia, Jose M. Ramia Angel, Ashwin Rammohan, Francisco Razionale, Ricardo Robles Campos, Manas Roy, Sophie Rozwadowski, Luis Ruffolo, Natalia Ruiz, Andrea Ruzzenante, Lily Saadat, Mohamed Amine Said, Edoardo Saladino, Gabriel Saliba, Per Sandstrom, Carlo Alberto Schena, Anthony Scholer, Cristoph Schwartz, Lorenzo Serafini, Pablo Serrano, Deepak Sharma, Aali Sheen, Vishwanath Siddagangaiah, Michael Silva, Saurabh Singh, Ajith Siriwardena, Michal Skalski, Mante Smig, Faris Soliman, Donzília Sousa Silva, Ernesto Sparrelid, Parthi Srinivasan, Malin Sternby Eilard, Oliver Strobel, Urban Stupan, Miguel Angel Suarez-Munoz, Manisekar Subramaniam, Teiichi Sugiura, Robert Sutcliffe, Hilko Swank, Lillian Taylor, Prabin Bikram Thapa, Catherine The, Asara Thepbunchonchai, Caman Thieu, Navneet Tiwari, Guido Torzilli, Chutwichai Tovikkai, Blaz Trotovsek, Savvas Tsaramanidis, Georgios Tsoulfas, Katsuhiko Uesaka, Garzali Umar, Lucio Urbani, Michail Vailas, Ronald van Dam, Peter van de Boezem, Stijn van Laarhoven, Tomas Vanagas, Mike Van Dooren, Manon Viannet, Luca Vigano, Aarathi Vijayashanker, Celia Villodre, Toshifumi Wakai, Aklile Workneh, Li Xu, Masakazu Yamamoto, Zhiying Yang, Robert Young, and Marko Zivanovic

Subjects
Gallbladder cancer, Liver resection, Surgical outcomes, Cholangiocarcinoma, Medicine (General), R5-920
Abstract

Summary: Background: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is rare but aggressive. The extent of surgical intervention for different GBC stages is non-uniform, ranging from cholecystectomy alone to extended resections including major hepatectomy, resection of adjacent organs and routine extrahepatic bile duct resection (EBDR). Robust evidence here is lacking, however, and survival benefit poorly defined. This study assesses factors associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS) and morbidity and mortality following GBC surgery in high income countries (HIC) and low and middle income countries (LMIC). Methods: The multicentre, retrospective Operative Management of Gallbladder Cancer (OMEGA) cohort study included all patients who underwent GBC resection across 133 centres between 1st January 2010 and 31st December 2020. Regression analyses assessed factors associated with OS, RFS and morbidity. Findings: On multivariable analysis of all 3676 patients, wedge resection and segment IVb/V resection failed to improve RFS (HR 1.04 [0.84–1.29], p = 0.711 and HR 1.18 [0.95–1.46], p = 0.13 respectively) or OS (HR 0.96 [0.79–1.17], p = 0.67 and HR 1.48 [1.16–1.88], p = 0.49 respectively), while major hepatectomy was associated with worse RFS (HR 1.33 [1.02–1.74], p = 0.037) and OS (HR 1.26 [1.03–1.53], p = 0.022). Furthermore, EBDR (OR 2.86 [2.3–3.52], p

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

50. Upper transversal hepatectomy with double hepatic vein resection and reconstruction to treat colorectal cancer liver metastases at the hepatocaval confluence: a strategy to achieve R0 liver-sparing resection

Author

Urbani, Lucio, Roffi, Nicolò, Signori, Stefano, Balestri, Riccardo, Colombatto, Piero, Licitra, Gabriella, Leoni, Chiara, Meiattini, Daniele, Moretto, Roberto, Cremolini, Chiara, Masi, Gianluca, Boraschi, Piero, Quilici, Francesca, Buccianti, Piero, and Puccini, Marco

Published
2022
Full Text
View/download PDF

Catalog

Books, media, physical & digital resources
See catalog results